The inflorescence consists of two to six softly hairy spikes which are yellow or brown 1 to 4 inches long. Joints and pedicels are slender, sparsely ciliate.
Fig. 134.—Ischæmum pilosum.
1. A sessile and a pedicelled spikelet; 2, 3, 4 and 6. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively, of the sessile spikelets; 5. palea of the third glume, 7. palea of the fourth glume; 8. ovary; 9, 10, 11 and 12. first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively, of the pedicelled spikelets; 13. palea of the fourth glume.
The sessile spikelets are narrowly lanceolate, 3/4 inch long, with long hairs at the base. The first glume is dorsally hairy, or glabrous, narrowed from the middle upwards, chartaceous, with incurved margins and six or seven anastomosing nerves. The second glume is longer than the first, laterally compressed, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, chartaceous, glabrous but often with long hairs on the keel towards the upper half, 5-nerved, the lateral nerves anastomosing. The third glume is a little shorter than the second, linear-oblong or lanceolate, paleate; palea is membranous, nerveless, and encloses three stamens. The fourth glume is equal to the third glume in length, membranous, hyaline and divided almost to the middle into two acute lobes with an awn 1/4 to 3/8 inch long, paleate; palea is lanceolate, nerveless and encloses three stamens and the ovary and sometimes only the ovary. The pedicelled spikelets are shorter than the sessile but with a shorter awn. The glumes are similar to those of the sessile spikelet; sometimes these spikelets are imperfect or even reduced to a single glume.
This grass grows well in black cotton soils and sometimes it gets very well established and then it is very difficult to eradicate it. Cattle seem to like this grass.
Distribution.—In black cotton soils all over the presidency, but most abundant in the Ceded districts.
