139. GRAMINE.E. [79. Themkda. 



an involucral whorl or sub-whorl round the inner : inner in a central 

 spike on a very short internode to which it is obliquely articulate. 

 Central spike of 1-3 sessile 2-sexual (or female) spikelets each with a 

 pedicellecl male or neuter spkt. or terminal (or if only one) with 2 

 pedicelled spkts. Clusters shortly peduncled in the axil of a proper 

 bract or spatheole. .Spatheoles in spathaceous panicles, the partial 

 j)anicles often fascicled. Involucral spikelets male or neuter, awnless 

 with 3-4 glumes. Sessile 2-sexual or fern, spkts. M'ith oblique often 

 pungent barbed callus, gl. i subterete, convolute round the inner 

 except the keel of ii, coriaceous, finally hardened ; ii as long, coriaceous 

 with broad keel which receives the awn of iv ; iii hyaline, 1 -nerved ; 

 iv reduced to the hyaline base of the awn, or sometimes awnless, 

 palea 0. Lodicules more or less cuneate, often large. Anthers large. 

 Orain oblong. Pedicelled spikelets dorsalh' compressed with 1-3 

 glumes, i many-nerved, embracing the others which are hyaline. 



I. Grasses 4-7 ft. liio'h. Invol. spkts. in a syminetrical whorl 

 (exc. sometimes in sfrif/osa), giumes 3 : — 



A. Sessile spkts. only one in the spike. Gl. i of involucral 



spkts. not uniformly covered with tubercled sette : — 



1. Branching strict. Clusters very numerous in numerous 



fascicles .- — 



Perennial, erect. Clu.sters in globose or fan-shaped 

 drooping spatheate fascicles. Invol. and sessile spkts. 

 mostly over -^.o" 1. imherhi^. 



Annual, erect or scrambling. Clusters or fascicles in 

 erect or suberect racemiform partial axillary inflores- 

 cences or very close at the ends of the branches. 

 Invol. and sessile spkts. under "2.5" . . . .2. qKad rival ci>--, 



2. Branching very eif use. Clusters very few in few small 



superposed fascicles on the filiform branches . . 3. laxa. 



B. Sessile spkts. 2-3 in the spike. Gl. i of invol. spkts. 



densely-covered with tubercle-based seta?, Invol. spkts. 



about "17" long .4. sti-ioosa. 



II. Grasses 6-20 ft. high. Invol. spkts. with two of their number 

 on a higher level than the other two, glumes 4 : — 

 Invol. spkts. scabrellous or nearly glabrous. Sessile spkt. 



densely brown appressedly hirsute 5. cav.dafa. 



Invol. spkts. covered with long spreading tubevcled-based 

 yellow hairs. Sessile spkt. not densely hairy . . . Q. arumlivaoea. 



1. T. imberbis, T. Cooke (partly). Syn. Anthistiria imberbis, Retz. 



A usually tall tufted grass 2-7 ft. high. Stems terete or com- 

 pressed, yellow polished. Leaf sheaths below loose open often 

 •5" wide (Avhen laid out flat), upper much compressed and keeled, 

 polished smooth, leaves very narrow 12-15" by •15--25" tapering to 

 a point from a little above the base which has sometimes a few slender 

 villi, margin and midrib beneath minutely scabrous ; ligule scarious 

 often torn, -Oo-'l" long glabrous. Panicle leafy slender, very lax 

 with main rhachis minutely scabrid below the leaves. Partial panicles 

 <those in the axils of the leaves) never spiciform, consisting of fan- 

 .shaped fascicles or a system of fan-shaped fascicles with a leaf-like 

 bract subtending a fascicle and 1-3 short capillary naked branches 

 each of Avhich in its turn bears a leaf-like bract and a fascicle or a 

 further system. Bract-leaf subtending the fascicle 1-3" long with 

 sheath glabrous or with a sub-marginal row of tubercle-based bristles, 

 its peduncle more or less pubescent or scabrid and with a short beard 



1049 



