The leaf-blade is linear-lanceolate, rigid, erect, acuminate with a setaceous tip, nearly smooth, varying in length from 6 to 20 inches and in breadth from 1/6 to 2/3 inch.
The inflorescence is an elongate panicle, 1 to 2 feet long, consisting of rather distant fascicles of spikes and bracts on capillary, flexuous peduncles; the spikes are sub-flabelliform or sub-globose, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches broad, sometimes reduced to a few spikelets and bracts; the outer bracts are longer than the fascicles, 1 to 1-1/2 inches long, glabrous or hairy with ordinary or tubercle-based hairs; proper bracts are lanceolate, acute, compressed, glabrous or hairy with membranous margins.
Fig. 165.—Anthistiria tremula.
1. Fascicles of three spikes with the outer bracts and proper bracts; 2. a spike without its proper bract; 3. the pedicelled and the bisexual spikelets without the involucral spikelets; 4, the first glume of the involucral spikelet with one wing only; 4a. the first glume of the involucral spikelet with wings to both the keels; 5 and 6. the second and the third glume of the involucral spikelet; 7, 8 and 9. the glumes of the bisexual spikelet; 10, 11, 12 and 13. glumes of the bisexual spikelet; 14. ovary.
The involucral spikelets are the longest, in contiguous superposed pairs, about 1/2 inch long, and the rachis of the spike is produced beyond these spikelets. There are three glumes. The first glume is linear-lanceolate, acute, covered with long, often tubercle-based hairs, many-nerved, margins narrowly incurved, and with narrow wings, on both the keels in one of each of the pairs of spikelets and on one keel only in the other of each of these pairs. The second glume is oblong-lanceolate, acute, margins thin and membranous, inflexed, ciliate above the middle, 3-nerved. The third glume is as long as the second, hyaline, very narrowly linear, 1-nerved. Stamens are three and the lodicules are cuneate.
The pedicelled spikelets are usually smaller than the involucral spikelets and similar to them. The first glume is winged on one side in the lowest spikelet and without wings in the others.
The bisexual or (female) spikelets are linear-oblong, obtuse, and the callus with reddish hairs. The first glume is scabrid, deeply channelled at the back, nerveless, narrowly truncate at the tip, and hispid near the apex. The second glume is as long as the first, linear, hyaline, 3-nerved, chartaceous at the back with the sides membranous and incurved. The third glume is small, hyaline, 1-nerved and epaleate. The fourth glume is the narrowed base of the awn which is 1/2 inch long.
This grass is very common in marshes and in wet low-lying places on the hills and occurs also in the plains in Malabar and South Kanara.