=Panic.u.m stagninum, _Retz._=

It is an annual. The stems are glabrous, creeping and somewhat prostrate at the base, and the upper portion is erect, 3 to 4 feet long, and rooting at the nodes in the geniculate portion of the stem.

The _leaf-sheath_ is smooth, striate, glabrous, sometimes p.u.b.escent about the lower nodes, varying in length from 1-1/2 to 4-1/2 inches. The _ligule_ is distinct, consisting of a fringe of stiff hairs.

The _leaf-blade_ is linear-lanceolate, ac.u.minate or acute, base rounded, glabrous, smooth below, especially in the lower part, and scabrid above and in the upper part, 6 to 12 inches long, by 1/4 to 3/8 inch; the lower leaves have their blades somewhat narrower at the base than in the middle, but the blades in the upper part of the stem and in the middle are of the same breadth; margins are very minutely serrate.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 88.--Panic.u.m stagninum.

1. Front view of a portion of spike; 2. back view of the same; 3 and 4.

front and back views of a spikelet; 5, 6 and 7. the first, second and the third glume, respectively; 8. palea of the third glume with its anthers; 9. front and back view of fourth glume; 10. the ovary, stamens and lodicules.]

The _inflorescence_ is 4 to 8 inches long; the main _rachis_ is angular, grooved, scabrid on the ridges. The _spikes_ are 7 to 10 inches, alternate, pale green or purplish, rather distant, spreading or suberect (never erect) 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long, sessile and with a tuft of bristly hairs at the base; the rachis of the spike is angular, grooved with scattered bulbous-based bristles on the ridges.

The _spikelets_ are four ranked, ovoid-lanceolate, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long without the awn, somewhat flattened on one side and gibbous on the other, pale green or purplish, with equal bulbous-based bristly hairs on the nerves.

There are four _glumes_. The _first glume_ is half of the third glume, thin, membranous, hairy, broadly ovate, abruptly cuspidate at the apex, and ac.u.minate, 5-nerved (rarely 3-nerved). The _second glume_ is broadly ovate-lanceolate, concave, ac.u.minate, short awned, 5-nerved with two partial nerves one on each side of the central nerve (7- to 9-nerved at the tip), hairs on nerves, a few tubercled. The _third glume_ is similar to the second, broadly ovate-lanceolate, awned, awn 1/8 to 1/4 inch, paleate with usually three stamens, occasionally neuter. _Lodicules_ are present. The _fourth glume_ is chartaceous, s.h.i.+ning, smooth ovate-oblong, apex cuspidate, with a few hairs on the edges at the apex, faintly 5-nerved. The _anthers_ within this glume come out before those of the third glume. _Anthers_ are three, yellowish and _lodicules_ are conspicuous though small.

In this gra.s.s very often, purple streaks or bands occur across the leaf blades and the sheath and the spikelets become purple on one side as is met with in P. colonum. This gra.s.s is occasionally found in the paddy fields either alone, or along with _Panic.u.m Crus-galli_.

_Distribution._--Throughout the Madras and the Bombay Presidencies and in Ceylon in wet places especially in cultivated ground and in ditches.

Occurs more or less throughout India.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 89.--Panic.u.m colonum.]

=Panic.u.m colonum, _L._=

This is a slender annual growing to a height of 2 feet. The stems are creeping below, erect above, and with roots in the lower internodes of the dec.u.mbent part of the stem, smooth, dull green or partly purplish.

The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous and sharply keeled. The _nodes_ are glabrous or obscurely p.u.b.escent. There is no _ligule_.

The _leaf-blade_ is narrow, lanceolate, ac.u.minate, glabrous but sometimes tubercle-based hairs occur just on the margin at the base of the leaf-blade close to the white band, varying in length from 1 to 6 inches and in breadth 3/16 to 5/16 inch; the margin is minutely and distantly serrate, midrib is quite distinct and there are three main veins on each side and three or four smaller between main ones. The blades of the lower leaves are narrow at the base and broader at about the middle but those of the upper are equally broad at the base, as well as at the middle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 90.--Panic.u.m colonum.

1 and 2. The front and back view of the spikes; 1a and 2a. the back and the front view of the spikelet; 3, 4 and 5. the first, second and the third glume, respectively; 6. palea of the third glume; 7 and 8. the fourth glume and its palea; 9. ovary anther and lodicules.]

The _inflorescence_ is a contracted panicle, 3 to 5 inches long.

_Spikes_ are from 8 to 20, suberect, usually distant, 1/4 to 1 inch long and getting shorter upwards; the rachis of the spike is stout, angular, scaberulous on the angles with a few long hairs towards the base.

The _spikelets_ are small green or partly purplish 1/12 to 1/10 inch long, globosely ovoid, acute, p.u.b.escent with minute hairs on the outer surface of the glumes and bristly hairs on the nerves, all on one side, sessile or very shortly pedicelled, two or three from a node, one or two barren, 3- to 5-seriate.

There are four _glumes_ in the spikelet. The _first glume_ is about half of the third glume, broadly ovate or suborbicular, acute, generally 3-nerved, rarely 5-nerved, p.u.b.escent between and hispidly hairy on the nerves. The _second glume_ is as long as the third, broadly ovate, cuspidate, 5-nerved sometimes with two partial nerves added one on each side of the central vein, p.u.b.escent between the veins and hispid on the veins. The _third glume_ is similar to the second, 5-nerved, tip with a few cilia, paleate; _palea_ is empty oblong-orbicular, subacute. The _fourth glume_ is coriaceous, s.h.i.+ning, turgid, broadly ovate, acute, paleate. Sometimes the tip possesses a few cilia. _Anthers_ are three, pale yellow and _stigmas_ dark purple. _Lodicules_ are small but conspicuous.

This gra.s.s is common in water-logged situations, in paddy fields and in irrigated dry lands. Sometimes on the blades of this gra.s.s purple bands are present and the internodes and the spikes also become purplish.

It is really a weed of cultivation met with generally on rich soils.

This gra.s.s is considered to be one of the best fodder gra.s.ses in India.

All kinds of cattle eat it greedily.

_Distribution._--It is found throughout India up to 6,000 feet and also in all warm countries.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 91.--Panic.u.m prostratum.]

=Panic.u.m prostratum, _Lamk._=

The plant is a slender annual and it consists of several branches, prostrate and creeping, with advent.i.tious roots at the nodes below, branching or ascending above, all green or sometimes purple above and green below, 4 to 18 inches long.

The _leaf-sheath_ is striate, 1 to 2 inches long, glabrous or very spa.r.s.ely hairy, purplish above and green below or all green, keeled, margins ciliate on one side only throughout its length. The _ligule_ is a fringe of white hairs. The _nodes_ are glabrous or p.u.b.escent.

The _leaf-blade_ is short or long, varying from 1/2 to 2-1/2 inches in length and 3/16 to 5/16 inch in breadth, convolute when young, lanceolate to broadly ovate-lanceolate, acute or ac.u.minate, upper surface glabrous, and the lower glabrous or with a few scattered tubercle-based hairs; margins are very minutely serrate; base is cordate, amplexicaul with a few long slender hairs (sometimes tubercle-based), just close to the white patch on both sides on the margin of the blade about the ligule. The midrib is distinct.

The _inflorescence_ consists of five to fifteen or twenty spikes spreading in all directions, distant or crowded; peduncle varies from 1 to 4 inches. _Spikes_ are 1/2 to 1-3/8 inches, sessile or shortly stalked; the _rachis_ of the spike is slender, trigonous and scaberulous.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 92.--Panic.u.m prostratum.

A. Front and back view of spike; B. front and back view of a spikelet; 1, 2, 3 and 4, the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively; 3a and 4a. the palea of the third and the fourth glumes; 5. anthers, ovary and lodicules.]

The _spikelets_ are crowded all on one side, 2- to 3-seriate, ellipsoidal, 1/20 to 1/16 inch long, glabrous or p.u.b.escent, pale green or purple on one side, in pairs on pedicels, one with a slightly longer pedicel than the other; fine long hairs, varying in number from one to eight and longer than the spikelets, are found on the pedicels at their tips in some plants and not in others.

There are four _glumes_ in the spikelet. The _first glume_ is very short about 1/4 of the third or less, semilunar, membranous, hyaline, subtruncate, obtuse or acute, generally nerveless, but rarely, obscurely 1- to 3-nerved. The _second glume_ is membranous, ovate, acute, glabrous or p.u.b.escent and 7-nerved. The _third glume_ is of about the same length as the second, 5-nerved, always paleate, with or without stamens; _palea_ is broad, margins infolded, 2-nerved, obtuse and hyaline; when stamens are present the _lodicules_ are very conspicuous. The _fourth glume_ is slightly shorter than the third, oblong or elliptic, apiculate, minutely rugulose, thinly coriaceous, with bis.e.xual flower; _palea_ is similar to the glume in texture and markings. _Stamens_ are three with yellowish anthers. _Lodicules_ are small and fleshy.

This plant occurs widely as a weed of cultivation in black cotton as well as other kinds of soil and shows variation in its leaves and spikelets. In some plants growing in somewhat dry places the leaves are shorter and broader, and those in favourable situations have longer narrower leaves. The spikelets are either perfectly glabrous or p.u.b.escent and long hairs may or may not be present on the pedicels. As regards colour the whole plant is green or the exposed portions of stems and spikelets are purplish. This gra.s.s is liked by cattle and is one of the most nutritious of Indian fodder gra.s.ses.

_Distribution._--Throughout India and Ceylon in the plains. Common in the Tropics.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 93.--Panic.u.m javanic.u.m]

=Panic.u.m javanic.u.m, _Poir._=

This is an annual and it branches freely and the branches are dec.u.mbent and rooting at the nodes at the base, and erect to some extent at the free end, 1 to 2 feet long; the internodes are glabrous, thinly striate, shallowly channelled on one side.

The _leaf-sheath_ is somewhat compressed and loose, covered with scattered long hairs, some of them being tubercle-based; the margin is ciliate on one side only. The _nodes_ are p.u.b.escent with long hairs. The _ligule_ is a distinct fringe of hairs.

The _leaf-blade_ is broadly lanceolate, cordate at base, amplexicaul, ac.u.minate or acute, with scattered long hairs both above and below, and some of the hairs of the under surface are tubercle-based, convolute when young; margin of the leaf is wavy, minutely serrate, and ciliated with distant hairs towards the lower half of the leaf when young; the midrib is prominent below.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 94.--Panic.u.m javanic.u.m.

1 and 2. Front and back view of a spike; 3, 4, 5 and 6. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively; 5a and 6a. the palea of third and fourth glumes; 7. the ovary and the stamens.]

The _inflorescence_ is a panicle of spikes on a short or long erect slender peduncle. _Spikes_ vary from two to ten in number and in length from 1/2 to 2 inches, distant and spreading; the rachis of the spike is zigzag, somewhat flattened with a wavy ridge, scaberulous or glabrous, swollen towards the base and the swollen part is p.u.b.escent.

The _spikelets_ are biseriate, loosely imbricate, ovate, acute, p.u.b.escent or villous (sometimes quite glabrous), sessile or shortly pedicelled; the pedicels have one or two (rarely more) long hairs.