18o 



lin.d and along- roadsides in early spring. Others, e.g.,, 



D. tenuiflora, TJ. debilis, flower later, and D. horizontalis 

 and D. sanguinalis are very common in autumn. Paspalum 

 scrobiculatum is another common species, and the genus. 

 Panicum is abundantly represented by P. isachne, P. trichopus, 

 P. helopus, P. arrectum, P. stagninum,, P. crus-pavonis, P. 

 crus-galli, P. laevi folium , P. meyerianum, P. proliferum var. 

 longijubatum. The species belonging to the section Brachiaria 

 with secund spikes are commoner in Spring, the eu-Panicum 

 species with spreading panicles in autumn. To the Paniceae 

 also belong Setaria gerrardi, S. a urea, S. nigrirostis, S. 

 imberbis, and what is probably the most important species of 

 all, since it often assumes complete dominance, Tricholaena 

 rosea. 



Some of the annual species of Eragrostis and one or two 

 of the perennials are always ruderal, e.g., E. major, E. annu- 

 lata, E. ciliaris, E. aspera, but a great many of the species, 

 already mentioned as belonging to the early stages of the 

 prisere, are frequent as ruderals, especially E-. curvula and 



E. plana. The same applies to the numerous species of 

 Aristida. They are abundant along roadsides and in culti- 

 vated land. Many of the Andropogons also occur, and A. 

 pertusus, A. intermedins var. punctatus, A. nardus var. 

 marginatum and validus, A. halepense var. effusus, A. auctus, 

 A. hirtus, A. dichroos are all common. 



The genus Chloris is typically ruderal, though rather 

 nutritious grasses. Ch pycnothrix is very common along 

 roadsides in autumn. CJi. virgata and Ch. gayana spread 

 somewhat through the Veld, in which the former sometimes 

 forms consociations. 



The succession varies so much in different parts that it 

 is somewhat difficult to analyse. In general, it may be said, 

 that the annual species are superseded by the perennial, but 

 often in waste land the very first species of grasses to appear 

 are the tall growing Cymbopogons, and often also Eragrostis- 

 Aristida associes have taken complete possession of cultivated 

 land in a few months. Tricholaena rosea, a sub-perennial, 

 often assumes a wide dominance for a year or two and repre- 

 sents a "Short lived grass stage." The actual succession in 

 different spots depends chiefly on what seeds arrive in quantity 

 first. 



With regard to the economic side of the question, this 

 succession has many points of interest. Most of the early 



