The Journal of Indian Botany/Volume 2/August 1921/A New Grass Chloris Bournei Sp. Nov.
A NEW GRASS CHLORIS BOURNEI Sp. Nov.
By K. Rangachariar and C. Tadu Lingam
Agricultural College, Coimbatore
Chloris Bournei Eangachariar and Tadulingam. (Gramina- ceso — Poaceaa — Chlorideoo) C. barbata Sw. affinis, sed majore spicula glumis cum 3-5 awnibus, et nervis hirsutis, differt. Herba perennis > Culmus crassus, 1-3 pedibus longus. Nodi purpurei. Folia linearia, glabra. Pedunculi ad quindicun digifci alti. Spici crassi, purpurei. Spiculsa 3 m.m. longae. Glumos cum 3 aub 4, saspe 5, awuibus. Awnes 5-7 m.m. longi. Flores feminei saepius cum 2 aut 3 granibus. Nerva tertias glumas apice basim hirsuta.
Log. Coimbatore, on black cotton soil. Herb. Madras. — 1317, 1318, 4443, 5348, 6166, 6569, Coll. K. Eangachariar.
This grass is perennial. The stems are somewhat stout, tufted, erect or ascending geniculately from a creeping and rooting base varying in length from 1 to 3 feet, with internodes 2 to 6 inches be- coming longer upwards; nodes are thickened, deeply purple-ringed, glabrous and the lower nodes always with a fan-like tuft of flattened leaf-sheaths and leaves.
Leaf-sheaths are equal to or longer than the internodes at the base, but shorter above, glabrous, compressed, distichous, bearded towards the mouth and with membranous margins. The ligule is a narrow membranous ridge.
Leaf-blades are liner, finely acuminate, slightly broadened and rounded at the base, keeled, the Upper surface scaberulous and with a few scattered long hairs especially towards the base, smooth or slightly scaberulous below, 1 to 9 inches by 1/12 to 1/4 inch.
The inflorescence consists of digitately arranged spikes 1 1/2 to 4 inches long on a peduncle which is sometimes 15 inches long ; spikes are stout, purple-tinged, 3 to 7 and even 9 in some specimens, shortly stalked, the base of the stalk being slightly swollen and villous at the base ; the rachis is slender, somewhat villous towards the base. Spikelets are about 1/8 inch excluding the awn, very shortly pedicell- ed, biseriate, unilateral, disarticulating above the first two glumes which are persistent, purplish or pale, 1 to 3-flowered, usually 3 to 4- awned and sometimes 5-awued ; awns are purplish 3/16 to 5/16 inch long, finely scabrid. There are 5 to 7 glumes in a spikelet. The first glume is hyaline, purplish or pale, about 1/10 inch long, lanceolate, subacuminate, 1-nerved with a scabrous keel; the second glume is hyaline, about one and a half times as long as the first, oblong
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189 elliptic, minutely 2-lobed at the apex with a minute mucro between,
I-nerved with a scabrid keel. The third glume is as long as the
second, awned, pale or purple, ovate or obovate, narrowed at the
base and clasping the rachilla at its base ; apex shortly 2-fid with a
purple dorsal awn, 3-nerved, paleate, the two marginal nerves are
densely bearded with long white or purple tinged hairs from near the
base to almost the apex and the mid-nerve also similarly bearded with
long hairs on both sides, and the base with a tuft of long hairs ; the
palea as long as the glume, coriaceous, obovately cuneate, obtuse,
minutely bifid, purple-tipped, with folded hyaline margins, 2-keeled,
keels shortly ciliate. Stamens three with yellow or purple anthers ;
ovary with two feathery stigmas and two lodicules. Grain is oblong,
shining, light reddish brown, narrowed at both ends and somewhat
trigonous. The remaining glumes, fourth to seventh, are borne by the
rachilla, thinly chartaceous, broadly obcordate or obovate, gradually
diminishing in size, purple-tinged, 3 to 5-nerved, scaberulous. The
fourth and the fifth glumes are empty and epaleate when the spikelets
are 5-glumed. If there are six glumes, the fourth bears both stamens
and the ovary, the fifth and the sixth glumes are empty, and in
spikelets of seven glumes, the third, the fourth and the fifth glumes
are flower-bearing and contain grains, and the remaining two glumes
are empty.
This species is a tall-growing robust one resembling Chloris barbata in its inflorescence, but with longer spikes and larger spikelets, as large as those of C. tenella. No doubt, it is closely allied to C. barbata, but differs from it by having larger spikelets that are 3 to 5-awned and 1 to 3-flowered, and the nerves being bearded throughout their length with long hairs.
This grass was found growing in abundance in the fields Nos. 13, 37 and 62 of the Agricultural College and in the grounds around the Forest College, Coimbatore, and was also collected in Bellary District and Samalkota.
Specimens of this grass were sent to Dr. O. Stapf of Kew and he writes as follows : — ■
" We have not been able to match it with any of the described species of Chloris, and Mr. Eangachariar will be fully justified in des- cribing it as a new species. We have it apart from Wight's specimen from the following collection : —
(1) Sattur, November 19, 1795 sub " Andropogon barbata Var.?" Herb. Rottler.
(2) Ahmednagar, Madras Presidency, Miss Shattuck (U. S. Dep. Agric. reed 1914).
(3) Tornagallu, Bellary District 11th August, 1901 (Ex. herb. Rangachariar in Herb. Bourne No. 3594).
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