Apluda gryllus

Description

Mauritian Grass is a rambling perennial grass, with culms up to about 3 m long, rooting from the lower nodes. Leaf-blades are flat, 5-25 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, cut-off at the tip. False panicle is linear, interrupted, 3.4 cm long. Spatheole narrowly ovate in side view, 3.5-10 mm long, acuminate. Stalkless spikelets are 2-6 mm long, lower glume narrowly elliptic-lanceolate; upper lemma deeply bifid with an awn 4-12 mm long or entire to emarginate and awnless. Stalked spikelets are broadly lanceshaped, the larger 2-5 mm long, stalks narrowly oblong, 2.4 cm long. This is considered to be a fairly good fodder grass and is readily eaten by cattle when young. It is very common in the plains and at low elevation in the Himalayas. In hedges and bushy places it usually assumes a climbing habit. It often constitutes a large part of the undergrowth in forests. Flowering: August-November.