The _leaf-blade_ is linear-lanceolate, finely acuminate, glabrous or hairy, 3 to 10 inches long and 1/8 to 3/8 inch broad. The _inflorescence_ is a solitary cylindric raceme of involucels, 2 to 4 inches long, enclosed in the uppermost leaf-sheath; the _rachis_ is flexuous, angular and smooth. _Involucels_ usually with two, rarely three spikelets, loosely imbricate, rounded at the base; the inner bristles are erect, dorsally flat, subulate-lanceolate, puberulous and with thickened margins, about 1/8 inch long. The outer are shorter than the inner, glabrous, erect or subsquarrose and as long as the sessile spikelets. The _spikelets_ are about 1/6 inch long, sub-globose, with four _glumes_. The _first glume_ is about 1/10 inch long, ovate-acuminate, very thin, hyaline, nerveless or rarely 1-nerved. The _second glume_ is broadly ovate, 1/6 inch long, hyaline, acute, 1-nerved. The _third glume_ is slightly longer than the second, oblong-ovate, apiculate, 5-nerved and paleate; _palea_ 1/8 inch obtuse. The _fourth glume_ is as long as the third, ovate, obtuse, paleate. _Anthers_ are three. _Styles_ free almost to the base. The grain is 1/12 by 1/16 inch orbicular oblong, compressed, smooth and pale brown. [Illustration: Fig. 117.--Cenchrus biflorus. 1. A portion of the raceme; 2. an involucel; 3, 4, 5 and 7. the first, second, third and the fourth glume respectively; 6 and 8. palea of the third and the fourth glumes; 9. the ovary and stamens; 10 grain.] This grass is not so widely distributed as _Cenchrus catharticus_. It is confined to some East Coast districts. _Distribution._--The Punjab, Gangetic plain, Concan, Sind and Coromandel. Also said to occur in Africa and Arabia. =Cenchrus catharticus, _Delile._= A tufted annual grass with geniculately ascending stems, branching at the base. The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous and somewhat inflated. The _ligule_ is a fringe of hairs. _Nodes_ are glabrous. The _leaf-blade_ is linear-lanceolate, finely acuminate, 1 to 4 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch broad. The _inflorescence_ is usually enclosed in the leaf-sheath, 1 to 6 inches long; the _rachis_ is flexuous, angular and glabrous. The involucels are 1/4 to 1/2 inch across, turbinate or truncate at base with an outer, shorter and inner longer series of hard, sharp, pungent spines; the inner subulate, dorsally deeply grooved, very much longer than the spikelets; margins ciliate to about half the distance from the base, and the upper half covered with very short, sharp and stiff, reflexed hairs; the outer are shorter than the spikelets, spreading or erect, glabrous or nearly so and covered with reflexed hairs.