Ochlandra travancorica (Bedd.) Benth. ex Gamble

ഈറ്റ

Family : POACEAE/GRAMINEAE

Synonym :

Ochlandra soderstromiana Muktesh & Stephen

Common Names : Eera, Eetta, Kareetta, Oda, Vei, Vezhal, Vezhampullu

Flowering Period : November-May

Distribution : Southern Western Ghats

Habitat : Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests

Uses : The plant is often grown along paddy fields, where it acts as a soil binder.The soil under this species in general is dark brown, acidic, sandy loam with granular structure, high porosity, good aggregate stability and with high water holding capacity. The leaves are used for thatching. The culms are in demand for making mats and baskets, umbrella handles, fishing rods, handicraft, and for making the walls of huts. The mats made from reeds are used for making 'Bamboo ply'.

Key Characters :

Tall reed-like grasses; rootstock rhizomatous, branched; culms to 5 m tall, densely clumped, hollow, covered with culm sheaths; culm sheaths with small limbs. Leaves scattered, 20-40 x 5-10 cm, oblong-lanceolate, base truncate, or cuneate, glabrous; sheaths tubular, mouth with stiff bristles; ligule short. Panicles large, spicate. Spikelets in verticils, 3-9 together, sessile, 5-6 cm long; glumes 2-5, unequal, to 5 cm long, lanceolate, mucronate, smooth; florets one, bisexual; lemmas 5 cm long, elliptic-oblong, muticous; palea membranous, stamens 20-40, filaments monadelphous; style long; stigma 4-6; fruit ovoid, 2-3 x 1.5 cm, beaked, smooth.