er with
leaves tufted at the base, 1 to 3 feet high.

The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous and smooth, ribbed, the lower short and
the upper very long. _Nodes_ are glabrous. The _ligule_ consists of a
fringe of minute hairs.

The _leaf-blades_ are usually flat, glabrous, strongly nerved, with
filiform tips, 3 to 10 inches by 1/25 to 1/16 inch.

The _inflorescence_ is an erect narrow pyramidal panicle, varying in
length from 4 to 10 inches and about 2 inches in breadth. The branches
are very fine, spreading and in scattered fascicles, 1/2 to 2 inches
long, with many very small spikelets arranged racemosely along the axis.
_Spikelets_ are small 1/18 to 1/20 inch long, with very short pedicels.
The _first glume_ is very short less than 1/5 inch, broadly oblong,
nerveless, hyaline, broadly truncate and erose at the apex. The _second
glume_ is a little longer than the first, but shorter than the third,
hyaline, broadly elliptic-oblong, nerveless or obscurely 1-nerved. The
_third glume_ is broadly ovate-oblong, subacute, 1-nerved, paleate; the
_palea_ is plicate in the median line. Stamens are usually two. The
grain is obovoid, truncate at the apex, and with a small white swelling
in the centre at the apex, rugulose, red-brown.

[Illustration: Fig. 178.--Sporobolus diander.

1. A portion of a branch; 2. a spikelet; 3, 4 and 5. the first, second
and the third glume, respectively; 6. palea of the third glume; 7.
anthers and the ovary.]

This grass grows usually gregariously in somewhat sheltered situations
all over the Presidency on the plains and low hills. This is an
excellent fodder grass. It forms fairly large tufts with plenty of green
leaves on rich moist soils. When the leaves are young cattle eat this
grass very eagerly, but do not seem to care for it when the leaves
become old. However by frequent grazing it can be made to produce young
leaves in succession. This grass is also an excellent soil binder, as
its roots form a perfect matting in any kind of moist soil soon after
planting. This is very difficult to eradicate when once established.

_Distribution._--Throughout India and Burma.

[Illustration: Fig. 179.--Sporobolus tremulus.]

=Sporobolus tremulus, _Kunth._=

A small tufted perennial grass.

The plant consists of prostrate stems and stolons, filiform and wiry.
Stems vary in length from 2 to 18 inches, prostrate or erect, rooting at
the lower nodes; flowering branches always ascending.

The _leaf-shea