PLATE 117. 



ANDROPOGON FILIFOLIUS (Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. i. 374). 



PERENNIAL, densely tufted. CULMS erect, slender, 1-2^ feet long, glabrous, 

 terete, about 3-noded, simple. 



LKAVKS mainly crowded at the base. Sheiitlis shorter than the internodes, 

 terete, tight, glabrous, lowest persistent, at length breaking up into fibres; ligules 

 membranous, very short, truncate. Blades very narrow, convolute, filiform, acute, 

 lowest rj-l foot long, upper very short, firm, hV.xuous, glabrous or hairy at the base. 



UACKMKS 2-nate, 2^-3^ inches long, stout, strict ; joints and pedicels subequal 

 and similar, cuneate-linear, 2-3i lines long, densely and shortly villous along the 

 margins, lips hollowed, unequally toothed Sessile xpikclftx laterally compressed. 

 wedged in bet ween joint and pedicel, '.\\ lines long,' callus slender, 1-1^ line long, 

 acute, densely bearded. Glumes subcoriaceous, glabrous, smooth; luirer linear, obtuse, 

 tips hyaline, keels narrov, rounded, smooth, almost contiguous, with a deep very 

 narrow groove (fold) between them ; "/</'/ boat-shaped, l-sub-3-nerved, ciliale. 

 Valves subequal ; foirer oblong-linear, 2-nerved, ciliate ; upper linear deeply bifid, 

 :5-nerved. lobes oblong, ciliolate. Awn stout, 2-2|- inches long, kneed at the middle, 

 pubescent below. Pale ovate, acute, I J line long, nerveless, glabrous. Anthers 

 1' | lines long. Pedicelled spikdets male, doreally compressed or subterete, lanceo- 

 late, (>-S lines long, glabrous, often purplish. Glumes. /mr,-r herbaceous, 2-toothed, 

 one tooth often prolonged into a bristle (to 3 lines long), acutely 2-keeIed, intra- 

 i-arinal nerves many (to 20) ; nj>pt>r finely acnminate, 3-nerved, ciliate. Valves, 

 fairer linear-oblong, acute, 4 lines long. :5-2-nerved, ciliate ; upper linear, 1 -nerved 

 glabrous, mutk-oiis. 1'ale linear, - lines long, nei veless. Ai.thers 3^ lines 



Habitat: NATAL. Kiel Vlei, /{IIC/IKIHIII 197 : near Newcastle, Bm-linnfin 195. 



Figured i'roni Buchanan's 197, which is the only specimen in the Natal Govern- 

 ment Herbarium. Buchanan's 195 is also in the Herbarium, but the portion of it 

 that we have proves to be wholly A. xt-lii reiixix. Stamens and pistil were not 

 found in the specimen from which the artist drew the figure, and could not there- 

 fore be shown in the drawing, and this species has not been sent by any contributor. 



This plant has been gathered in Cape Colony and Transvaal, but apparently 

 is not very common in Natal. 



1' i.ir. 1. Plant al>out natural size. Pedicelled spikeht '2. lower ghujie ; :>. upper glume : 



4, lower valve : ;5, upper valve : fi, pale. .SV.WA- .>/>//<'>/ 7. lower fjlumi'. l>;;ck \ ieu : 7a. s;;nie, 

 front view ; 8, upper <jluiuc : 1), lower valve : 10, uj>per valve : 11, pale. Except Jiff, /, nil 

 enlarged, 



