reen or purple tinged, few to 70-flowered; pedicels are slender and
capillary, longer or shorter than the spikelets; rachilla is zigzag and
glabrous. The _first two glumes_ are subequal, ovate, acute, one-nerved,
keel obscurely scaberulous, membranous. The _third_ and the succeeding
_flowering glumes_ are ovate, obtuse, as long as the second glume or
slightly longer, sub-chartaceous, glabrous, three-nerved; palea is
shorter than the glume, curved obovate oblong and persistent on the
rachilla. _Stamens_ are three with small anthers. Style branches are
two. _Lodicules_ are minute. Grain is nearly globose, compressed on one
side, obscurely rugulose.

This grass is not very widely distributed although it occurs in some
parts of the Presidency. It is common on the West Coast in sandy places.

_Distribution._--From the Punjab to Bengal and Burma and Southward to
Carnatic. Also said to occur in Afghanistan and Tropical Africa.

[Illustration: Fig. 221.--Eragrostis major.]

=Eragrostis major, _Host._=

This is an annual tufted grass. Stems are erect or geniculately
ascending, usually short, leafy and branched below, glabrous and
shining, 1/2 to 2 feet long.

The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous, striate, shorter than the internodes,
keeled with tubercles or glands on the keel and also on some of the
smaller nerves on the sides, and bearded with long white hairs
externally at the mouth. The nodes are glabrous purple, shining and with
a glandular ring below. The _ligule_ is a ridge of long hairs.

The _leaf-blade_ is linear-lanceolate or linear, tapering to a fine
point, glabrous, flaccid, margins finely serrulate and glandular, base
rounded, varying in length from 1/2 to 10 inches and in breadth 3/16 to
7/16 inch; the midrib is prominent and with a row of glands beneath and
there are 3 to 5 lateral nerves on each side of the mid-nerve.

[Illustration: Fig. 222.--Eragrostis major.

1. A branch with spikelets; 2 and 3. empty glumes; 4 and 5. flowering
glume and its palea; 6. grain.]

The _panicle_ is ovate or ovate-oblong, on a short, smooth peduncle,
usually open and stiff; branches are usually many, sub-solitary or
fascicled, spreading or suberect, capillary, stiff, again branching from
near the base and about 3 inches long; _rachis_ is angular, with glands
and tufts of sparse white hairs at the angles of branches and
branchlets.

_Spikelets_ are linear to ovate-oblong, compressed, pale or green,
sometimes purple tinged