The sessile spikelet is about 3/16 inch with an awn 7/16 inch long. There are four glumes in the spikelet. The first glume is narrow, linear, membranous, grooved, finely bicuspidate at the apex, with incurved margins and two nerves ending in tubercles below. The second glume is a little longer than the first, narrow, lanceolate, boat-shaped, thinly coriaceous with membranous margins, 1-nerved and shortly awned. The third glume is about 2/3 of the second glume in length, and shorter than the first glume, linear-lanceolate, hyaline, nerveless or sometimes very obscurely 2-nerved. The fourth glume is narrow linear, hyaline with two very fine lobes at the apex with an awn between, 7/16 inch long. Palea is hyaline and very small. Stamens are three, ovary with two long reddish feathery stigmas. Lodicules small and cuneate. Grain is long and narrow.
The pedicelled spikelets have only three glumes, and are slightly shorter than the sessile ones, pedicel is similar to the joint. The first glume is ovate-lanceolate, thinly coriaceous, distinctly many-nerved, acuminate, margins infolded and membranous. The second glume is ovate-lanceolate, membranous, glabrous and 3-nerved. The third glume is short, oblong-lanceolate, nerveless or faintly 2-nerved. There are three stamens.
This grass is variable in its size. In dry soils such as laterite soils, it is a very small plant not exceeding 9 or 10 inches across its spread. But in good soil and under favourable conditions the plant measures across 5 or 6 feet. Cattle eat the grass before it flowers and do not relish it so much when in flower.
A common grass flourishing all over the Presidency.
Distribution.—Occurs in drier parts throughout India.
Fig. 152.—Andropogon pertusus.