The _first_ and the _second glumes_ are lanceolate narrowed into short
stiff awns, equal or the second a little longer, hyaline glabrous,
strongly keeled about 1/6 inch long or a little less. The _succeeding
glumes_ third, fourth and fifth are very much shorter than the first two
glumes, about 1/10 inch or less, ovate-oblong, subacute, white,
membranous with a strong greenish nerve along the keel and two short
ones close to the margin, paleate; _palea_ is shorter than the glume,
membranous, oblong-obtuse, minutely 2-toothed, 2-nerved and 2-keeled.
_Stamens_ are three with small anthers. _Stigmas_ are white when young
and purple when mature. _Lodicules_ are very minute. The grain is pale,
brownish yellow, ellipsoidal-oblong, subacute, trigonous, rough and
never smooth, with a shallow groove on the dorsal side; the embryo is
about one-third the length of the grain.

This grass grows abundantly in cultivated dry fields all over the
Presidency. The spikes when mature become very rough and give an acid
taste. Cattle greedily eat this grass when young, but when old and in
full flower some cattle do not like it so much.

_Distribution._--Throughout the Presidency in the plains. Also occurs in
Afghanistan and westward to Senegal.

39. Leptochloa, _Beauv._

These are tall slender annual grasses. Spikelets are very small,
compressed, 1- to 6-flowered, sessile or shortly pedicelled, alternate
and unilateral on the branches of a panicle; the rachilla is produced
between the flowering glumes, jointed at the base. There are 3 to 8
glumes. The first two glumes are unequal, oblong or lanceolate,
1-nerved. The third and the succeeding ones are broadly ovate, 3-nerved,
paleate. Lodicules are two. Stamens are three. Grain is sub-globose,
oblong or trigonous, closely invested by the glume and its palea.

=Leptochloa chinensis, _Nees._=

This is a tall annual grass. Stems are erect or geniculately ascending
from a creeping root-stock, varying in length from 2 to 4 feet.

The _leaf-sheath_ is smooth, loose, the lower often broad and open. The
_ligule_ is a short hyaline lacerated membrane.

The _leaf-blade_ is narrowly linear, finely acuminate, somewhat
coriaceous, glabrous, 6 to 18 inches long and 1/6 to 1/4 inch broad.

The _inflorescence_ is a contracted panicle, 6 to 18 inches long with
spreading or suberect, alternate or opposite spikes which are capillary
and vary from 2 to 4 inches in length.

[Illustration: Fig. 21