566 
Stems 1-3.5 (commonly 2-2.5) dm. long, decumbent, wide-spread- 
ing, much branched, slender, the somewhat elongated internodes 
with a usually well-defined line of rather tomentose pubescence 
decurrent from the base of the stipules; petioles very pubescent, 
only slightly exserted from the stipular sheath, the exserted por- 
tion about 1 mm. long; stipules large, the tube 3-5 mm. long, in- 
flated, thin, membranous, brownish, appressed-pubescent, termi- 
nating in two subulate, aristate, more or less reflexed teeth about 
half as long; leaves spreading, pinnately trifoliolate, rhachis 1-2 
mm. long, pubescent, petiolules very short; terminal leaflet (of 
leaves of main stem) 10-18 (commonly 12-15) mm. long, 4-8 mm. 
wide, broadly or narrowly elliptical, oblanceolate or even cuneate- 
obovate, usually rounded at apex (sometimes truncate or even 
slightly retuse), conspicuously subspinescently cuspidate, acutish at 
base, entire, thickish, dark green above, pale beneath, smooth and 
glabrous, with a very few short marginal hairs; midrib impressed 
above, prominent beneath, veins prominent on both surfaces but 
especially beneath, 10 or 12 in the larger leaflets, departing from 
the midrib at a very sharp angle, veinlets obscure ; lateral leaflets 
somewhat smaller; inflorescence consisting of leafy bracted com- 
pound spikes, composed of 1-flowered bracted spikelets; spikes 
usually terminating the main stems and most of the branches, 
about 6 flowered, the two or three uppermost and one or two lowest 
flowers ordinarily abortive; lower primary bracts commonly uni- 
foliolate, the teeth and leaflet sparsely cilate with long rather weak 
setose red hairs, otherwise like the foliage leaves; upper primary 
bracts with gradually reduced and finally almost aborted leaflet. 
Secondary bract borne upon the short secondary axis,* which is 
adnate to the midnerve of the primary bract, 3-4 mm. long, entire, 
lance-subulate, usually broadest near middle and tapering thence 
to base and acutish apex, subhyaline, whitish, conspicuously ciliate ; 
prophyllum borne on the tertiary axis,+ closely approximate to 
the secondary bract and usually not obviously raised above it, 
about 3 mm. long, deeply cleft to or below the middle, two-nerved 
(the second nerve smaller and extending into the lobe), lobe as 
wide as blade but much shorter, both blade and lobe narrowly 
linear, rather obtuse or subacute, otherwise like the secondary 
bract ; flower terminating the tertiary axis, short-pedicelled, very 
slightly raised above the prophyllum; calyx glabrous, conspicu- 
ously greenish-veined; tube slender, 3-4 (usually 4) mm. long; 
limb (from base to apex of lowest (longest) tooth) about 4mm. — 
long ; lowest tooth ovate-oblong, acutish, 1.5 mm. wide, the other _ 
teeth shorter and narrower, more obtuse ; corolla orange-yellow; _ 
* The “ Seitenaxe erster Ordnung ” of Taubert. 
{ The « Seitenaxe zweiter Ordnung” of Taubert, who regards it as arising from 3 
the axil of the secondary bract. Co - 
