well.

_Distribution._ Throughout India in the hills and the plains.

[Illustration: Fig. 162.--Andropogon contortus.]

=Andropogon contortus, _L._=

(_Heteropogon contortus_, Beauv.)

This is a tufted perennial.

The stems are erect or slightly decumbent below, slender, rather
compressed towards the base, leafy at the base, simple or branched,
densely tufted and varying in length from 1 to 3 or 4 feet.

[Illustration: Fig. 163.--Andropogon contortus.

1. Lower pair of sessile and pedicelled spikelets; 2. upper pair of
sessile and pedicelled spikelets; 3, 4, 5 and 6. the first, second,
third and the fourth glume, respectively, of pedicelled spikelets; 7, 8,
9 and 10. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively,
of the sessile spikelet; 11. ovary.]

The _leaf-sheath_ is smooth or sparsely hairy, compressed and shortly
auricled or not at the mouth. The _ligule_ is short, truncate and
ciliolate.

The _leaf-blades_ are linear, acute or abruptly acuminate, flat, rigid,
sparingly ciliate above, with tubercle-based hairs towards the base,
scaberulous throughout, and 2 to 12 inches long or more, 1/10 to 1/5
inch broad.

The _inflorescence_ consists of a solitary spike with closely
imbricating spikelets.

The _spikelets_ are all on one side, and the lower two to six pairs of
pedicelled and sessile spikelets are all males. The _sessile spikelets_
are all female and awned, except the few lower which are male and
awnless, 1/4 inch long. The _callus_ is long, acute, bearded with
reddish-brown hairs. There are four _glumes_ in the spikelet. The _first
glume_ is narrow, linear-oblong, truncate or rounded, somewhat brown,
many-nerved, hispid, with incurved margins and membranous tip. The
_second glume_ is linear, obtuse, coriaceous, dark-brown, hispidulous,
3-nerved with incurved margins. The _third glume_ is oblong, hyaline,
thin, nerveless, short and truncate. The _fourth glume_ is reduced to an
awn, 3 inches or more in length. The _ovary_ is linear with two long
_stigmas_.

The _pedicelled spikelets_ are somewhat longer than the sessile 1/3 to
1/2 inch, with very short pedicels. The _first glume_ is lanceolate,
obliquely twisted, hispid at the back with long bulbous-based hairs,
margins more or less unequally winged. The _second glume_ is oblong
lanceolate, acuminate, 5-nerved, thinly ciliate with hyaline margins.
The _third glume_ is oblong, hyaline, 1-nerved and ciliate. The _fourth
glume_ is o