The inflorescence consists of two to eight smooth, digitate, green or purplish spikes, 1 to 3 inches long; rachis is slender, compressed or angular, scaberulous.
Fig. 191.—Cynodon dactylon.
1. A portion of spike, front view; 2. back view of a bit of spike; 3. spikelet; 4. first glume; 5. second glume; 6. third glume; 7. palea of third glume and rachilla; 8. lodicules, ovary and anthers; 9. hairs on the margin and keel of third glume.
Spikelets are laterally compressed, sessile, imbricate, arranged alternately in two series along one side of the rachis; rachilla produced beyond the first two glumes and hidden at the back of the palea between the two keels, small, slender and blunt when old and with a membranous imperfect glume when young, less than half the length of the spikelet. There are three glumes. The first and second glumes are shorter than the third, empty, ovate-lanceolate, acute, membranous with one thick green nerve in the middle, keeled, upper margin and keel scaberulous. The second glume is usually a little longer than the first, but occasionally also slightly shorter than the first. The third glume is longer than both the first and second glumes, obliquely oblong to ovate, subacute, membranous, boat-shaped, smooth, keeled, 3-nerved, one central along the keel and two marginal, keel scabrid below with stiff pointed hairs above, tip and lower margins scabrid or pilose, palea linear oblong, a little less than the third glume, obtuse, 2-nerved and with two scabrid keels. Stamens are three with pale purple anthers. Lodicules are two. Stigmas are purplish. Grain is oblong, slightly flattened, dorsally rounded, dull reddish-brown.
This is the common Hariali grass. It is also called "Devil's grass."
Distribution.—It is cosmopolitan.
