34 



2. Almost glabrous. Culms very wiry, 1-2 ft. long ... 



E. scoparius. 



All parts softly glandular-pubescent. Nodes villous. 



Culms not wiry 3 



3. Culms 2-6 inches long. Side nerves of glume evanescent 



above E. brachystachyus. 



Culms 1-3 ft. long. Two side nerves of the upper glume 

 percurrent E. mollis. 



ERAGIIOSTIS. 



1. Valves or pales long ciliate 2 



Valves and pales not long ciliate 3 



2. Perennial. Both valves and" pales ciliate E. lappula. 



Annual. Pales ciliate. Valves not ciliate except some- 

 times at the base of the keel E. ciliaris. 



3. Spikelets small, breaking up into false fruits consisting 



of the grain enclosed by its valve and pale 4 



Spikelets variously breaking up but not into false 

 fruits ,5 



4. Panicle large, very lax. Spikelets linear, on long fine 



pedicels. All parts scabrid E. aspera. 



Panicle linear to oblong, usually contracted. Spikelets 

 very shortly pedicelled 5 



5. Perennial. Valves f lin. long. Culms usually viscous 



at the nodes E. gummfflua. 



Annual. Valves 2-5 lin. long. Culms not viscous ... 



E. namaquensis. 



6. Spikelets orbicular to ovate— oblong in outline, obtuse, 



not more than twice as long as broad. Rachilla 



usually disarticulating 7 



Spikelets linear to oblong, often several times longer than 

 broad. Rachilla usually persistent 13 



7. Spikelets very flat, straw coloured, articulate with pedi- 



cels, deciduous E. superba. 



Spikelets not deciduous with the pedicels, breaking up, 

 smaller 8 



8. Spikelets ovate or suborbicular, strongly compressed, 



2-6 lin. by H-3£ lin E. brizoides. 



Spikelets smaller. Valves not more than 1 lin. long... 9 



9. Culms branched E. echinochloidea. 



Culms simple 10 



10. Small annual. Valve about i lin. long ... E. brizantha. 

 Perennial. Valve about 1 lin. long 11 



11. Spikelets on capillary branches and pedicels ... E. obtusa. 

 Spikelets crowded on very short pedicels or subsessile 12 



