70 



subsocially, are found in isolated tufts among the Macchia 

 shrubs. They are all very xerophytie, hard leaved, and deep 

 rooted. Some of them, e.g., Eh. ramosa, Eh. aphylla, are 

 sutirutescent and leafless, or almost leafless. Fig. 12 repre- 

 sents a section through the leaf of Eh. setacea, which is very 

 similar to Achneria capensis (c.f. Fig. 3). The ridges are 

 prominent, and the leaf remains folded. The bundles are 

 strongly girdered, and have a single row of sclerenchyma sur- 

 rounding each, which in turn is surrounded by larger thin- 

 walled cells without chlorophyll. Like Achneria, the chlor- 

 enchyma shows up very densely packed with food material. 

 The cuticle is thick, especially on the under side, but the 

 epidermal cells are not quite so large as in Achneria. 



In Ehrharta aphylla, which is a leafless suffrutescent 

 species, the assimilating tissue is confined to the stem. Fig. 

 13 shows its appearance in cross section. The centre as usual 

 is hollow, and a number of large vascular bundles, each sur- 

 rounded by sclerenchyma, form a circle around it. Outside 

 these there is a narrow continuous band of sclerenchyma, and 

 outside this smaller bundles arranged in an irregular circle, 

 each one being connected with the periphery of the stem by 

 radiating spokes of sclerenchyma. Between these lie the 

 assimilating chlorenchymas. The cuticle is thick and the 

 stem has shallow furrows in which the stomata are placed 

 opposite the radiating rows of chlorenchyma. 



Eleiisine. E. indica (uMunyankomo) (see Fig 2 C.) is 

 one of the commonest ruderal species in South Africa. It 

 sometimes takes complete possession of cultivated land after 

 crops have been reaped. Cattle are fond of it, and it is 

 reckoned quite a good grazing grass. E. coracana (uPoko) is 

 very similar, but more robust, and is cultivated by the natives 

 as a cereal, and for making beer, as well as by the white man 

 as a forage grass. 



Elioniiriis argenleus with its variety thymiodora is widely 

 distributed over South Africa, except in the West. It is one 

 of the most important species in the climax stages of Eastern 

 grassland, especially northwards in the Transvaal from Won- 

 derboom Poort to the Crocodile River, where it is dominant 

 over great stretches. It is rather xerophytie, with tightly 

 convolute or setaceous leaves and deep roots. 



Eiineapogon. This genus has its chief centre of develop- 

 ment in the open transitional Grassveld, which flanks the 



