79. Themeda.j 139. GRAMINE2E. 



on one side of the swollen tip. Fascicles consisting of a much abbre- 

 viated thickened axis Avith many barren bracts and several spike - 

 bearing bracts (spatheoles) of various ages. Spatheoles always glabrous, 

 •5--8" long cymbiform acuminate with scarious margins and scabrellous 

 keel, very shortly stipitate and bearing in its axil the minute stipes 

 •02—07" long of the cluster. Involucral spikelets •25--35" long, 

 4 in a complete Avhorl, their slightly thickened calli contiguous. Invol. 

 spkts. gl. i oblong 2-keeled with inflexed margins and one or both 

 margins with a hyaline wing (sometimes 2 with both margins and 2 

 with one margin winged), back more or less setose but bases of hairs 

 scarcely tubercled, tubercles mostly on the keels, feAV (hairs deciduous 

 and more noticeable on the very young involucres). Bisexual spkt. 

 usually only present in the young involucres, solitary, terete •25--3''' 

 long (including the callus) on a very short flattened glabrous joint 

 from which it separates with an oblici[ue scar, the callus being at first 

 Avedge-shaped ultimately more pungent and with a barb of long 

 broAvn hairs up to -15" long somerjvhat unilateral ; gl. i pale below 

 and quite smooth ultimately deep brown, upper third or fourth 

 brown and scabrid, tip truncate, about 9 -nerved ; ii as long, narroAv 

 oblong with rounded keel which receives the awn, 1 -nerved in centre 

 and 2-3 -nerved in each margin ; iv reduced to the long awn Avhich is 

 1-2-2" long, its base filiform, column brown or black hispid and arm 

 scabrous. Ped. spkts. caducous, very unequal, •12--28" long, linear 

 acuminate, glabrous. 



2. T. quadrivalvis, 0. Kuntze. Syn. Anthistiria ciliata, L.f. 



A rather stout, usually gregarious, grass 4-6 ft. high with several 

 stems often geniculate at the base, usually terete, •15--2" diam. 

 between the nodes, loAver sheaths mostly lax and open, upper keeled, 

 ligule scarious usually lacerate •Oo--!", blade rarely over -25" wide, 

 scabrellous on margins or those on inflorescence Avith bristly margins, 

 occasional^ some leaves AAith tubercle-based bristles, glaucous 

 beneath. Panicles mostly dense AAith the leaves not much longer 

 than the partial inflorescences. Partial inflorescences (in the axils 

 of the leaves of main rhachis) racemiform and paired erect or suberect 

 or cernuous 1-5-3" long, close and almost forming a thyrse at the ends 

 of the stems, Avith slender shining peduncles. Each partial inflores- 

 cence Avith subdistichous or spiral erecto-patent bract-lea\^es 2-5-1" 

 long and -1" Avide AAith a short sheath clasping the rhachis and bearing 

 in its axil a series of ped uncled spatheoles, the lower also a branchlet 

 Avhich in its turn bears spatheoles and perhaps another branchlet. 

 Bract-leaAes often Avith tubercled bristles on margin chiefly near the 

 base of blade and moutli of sheath, their peduncles clavate but not 

 bearded at tip. Spatheole conduplicate lanceolate finely acuminate, 

 keel scaberulous. Involucral spikelets -17-- 18" long ; gl. i oblong or 

 lane. -oblong sub-spinulose-tipped, Avith tubercle-based bristles chiefly 

 near the top, about 9-nervecl, keels scaberulous, one sometimes slightly 

 AA'inged. Bisexual spikelet solitary -18" long (AAith callus), callus 

 articulating obliquely to the minute flattened pedicel, barbed AAdth 

 long broAvn hairs ; gl. i often clothed uniformly Avith sparse very short 



1050 



