h pitted in some plants), and not awned, and
each one consists of three glumes only; the pedicel is more than half as
long as the sessile spikelets. The _first glume_ is slightly hairy,
oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, ciliate at the margins, 7- to 9-, or
13-nerved, generally without pits, but occasionally with one, two or
three pits; the keels are ciliolate throughout the length. The _second
glume_ is membranous, ovate-lanceolate, acute, with incurved margins,
5-nerved. The _third glume_ is hyaline, linear-oblong, glabrous and
thinly ciliate at the tip or not with or without stamens.

This is an excellent fodder grass and it grows quickly and stands
cutting very well. Cattle eat this grass very well.

_Distribution._--This grass is found all over India in the plains or
lower elevations of hills.

=Andropogon squarrosus, _L.f._=

(_Vetiveria zizanioides._)

This is a densely tufted perennial grass with branching root-stocks and
spongy aromatic roots.

The stems are leafy, with equitant, hard, leaf-sheaths at the base,
smooth and polished, solid, 2 to 3-1/2 feet high.

The _leaf-sheaths_ are smooth, coriaceous, glabrous, keeled and
compressed. The _ligule_ is a very short membrane.

_Leaf-blades_ are narrowly linear, erect, strongly keeled and flat,
acuminate, glabrous both above and below, very much narrower than the
sheath at the base, 1 to 2 feet by 1/3 to 3/4 inch.

The _panicle_ is conical, erect with branches, fascicled, varying in
length from 4 to 12 inches. The _spikes_ consist of both sessile and
pedicelled spikelets, that are either grey, green, or purplish.

[Illustration: Fig 154.--Andropogon squarrosus.

1. A portion of a branch; 2. a sessile and a pedicelled spikelet; 3, 4,
5 and 6. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively, of
the sessile spikelet; 7. palea of the fourth glume; 8. lodicules,
stamens and the ovary; 9, 10, 11 and 12. glumes of the pedicelled
spikelet; 13. palea of the fourth glume.]

The _sessile spikelets_ are about 1/6 inch long, lanceolate and with a
shortly bearded callus. The _first glume_ is ovate-oblong, thickly
coriaceous, obscurely 2- to 4-nerved (occasionally 5- to 7-nerved),
acute, dorsally flat, with incurved margins and with two rows of
tubercle-based minute prickles or mere excrescences at the sides. The
_second glume_ is as long as the first, oblong, coriaceous, keeled, with
hyaline and ciliolate margins, 1-nerved (sometimes 3-nerved, margi