stinct. _Ovary_ has two styles with feathery
_stigmas_ white at first, but turning deep purple while withering.

This delicate and small grass occurs here and there as mere tufts
especially in sheltered situations. It usually flourishes in black
cotton soils amidst cholam (_Andropogon Sorghum_), although it thrives
equally well in other rich soils. This is considered to be a very good
fodder grass.

_Distribution._--It is fairly common all over the Madras Presidency, and
goes up to 3,000 or 4,000 feet. It occurs in Africa, America and Italy.

[Illustration: Fig. 82.--Panicum flavidum.]

=Panicum flavidum, _Retz._=

This plant is a tufted annual. It branches freely from the base;
branches are tufted, decumbent at first but soon becoming erect,
slender, glabrous, compressed and leafy, varying in length from 1 to 3
feet.

Leaves are somewhat distichous. The _leaf-sheath_ is compressed,
glabrous, sometimes with a tinge of purple, the lower ones swollen at
the base and the mouth is hairy. The _ligule_ is a fringe of hairs.
Nodes are glabrous.

The _leaf-blade_ is flat, thinly coriaceous, linear-lanceolate and
acuminate, or ligulate with a rounded tip, 3 to 5 inches in length, 3/16
to 5/16 inch wide, glabrous or very thinly scaberulous, base rounded or
slightly cordate with long white ciliate hairs on the small basal lobes.

[Illustration: Fig. 83.--Panicum flavidum.

1 and 2. Front and back view of a portion of spike; 1a and 2a. the front
and back view of a spikelet; 3 and 4. the first and the second glume,
respectively; 5 and 5a. the third glume and its palea; 6 and 6a. the
fourth glume and its palea; 7. anthers and ovary; 8. grain.]

The _inflorescence_ is a raceme of spikes, 5 to 10 inches long, erect or
inclined on a short or long, glabrous, strongly channelled peduncle; the
main rachis is grooved, angled and scaberulous. _Spikes_ are few or
many, 1/4 to 1 inch long, erect, pressing on the rachis of the
inflorescence along the groove, distant and sessile; the lower spikes
are very much shorter than the internodes, but the upper equal to or
longer than the internodes; the rachis of the spike is angular,
flattened below, erect or slightly recurved.

The _spikelets_ are white, in two rows on a flattened rachis, obliquely
ovoid or gibbously globose, glabrous, sessile, 1/8 inch in length.

There are four _glumes_. The _first glume_ is suborbicular, about half
the length of the third glume, usually 3-nerved. Th