Distribution.—In wet situations all over India ascending to 6,000 feet. Occurs also in Ceylon, Africa, Tropical Asia and Australia.
Fig. 84.—Panicum fluitans.
Panicum fluitans, Retz.
This is a perennial grass with prostrate branches which afterwards become erect towards the free ends. The young branches are covered with scale-leaves. Stems are stout, glabrous, smooth and hollow, rooting at the lower nodes.
The leaf-sheath is loose, glabrous, striate, margins not ciliate. The ligule is a ridge with a row of erect long hairs. Nodes are glabrous.
The leaf-blade is firm, linear, finely acuminate, base rounded, rather narrower than the sheath at the white band, very thinly scaberulous above and glabrous below, veins prominent above, 3 to 9 inches long, 1/4 to 7/16 inch broad; margins are slightly incurved and the midrib is conspicuous only at the lower portion of the blade. The scale-leaves persist at the base of the stems.