".A .' 

 PLATE 133. 



ANTHISTIRIA JMBERBIS (Retz, Obs. iii. 11.) 



PERENNIAL, densely tufted ; innovation shoots intravaginal. CULMS erect or 

 geniculate and ascending, 1-3 feet long, rather slender, glabrous, simple or branched. 

 Sheaths compressed, keeled, firm, glabrous or the lower sometimes hairy and 

 bearded at the nodes, exceeding the internodes, except the upper. Ligules 

 membranous, very short, obtuse or truncate, ciliolate. . Blades linear, long tapering 

 to a fine point, 2-8 inches long, by 1-2| lines broad, very rarely broader, fiat, 

 rather rigid, glabrous or hairy below. 



PANICLE narrow, often nodding, 3-G inches long, scantily branched, branches 

 solitary, or the upper 2-3-nate, filiform, glabrous, bearing capituliform, usually 

 dense, fascicles of racemes. Spathes lanceolate, obtusely acuminate, about I inch 

 long, rarely longer, usually bearded, at the base, glabrous or hairy, greenish nr 

 reddish. Racemes G-i) lines long. :.. 



Invohicral spikelets whorled, sessile, persistent, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 

 3J-5 lines long, rarely longer, glabrous or with scattered, short, tubercle-based 

 hairs, male ; their lower glumes not, or very obscurely winged on one side only. 

 Valves, /oirer generally present. Pedice///''/ spikeletn linear-lanceolate, glabrous. 

 On short glabrous or suhglabrous pedicels. Perfect spikdet 1, not exserted from 

 the involucre, linear-oblong, subcylindric, 2j-3^ lines long, callus pungent, up to 

 - \\ line long, glabrous in front, otherwise densely bearded with shining reddish or 

 purplish hairs. Glumes, lotrer obtuse or emarginate, smooth and shining except 

 the rigidly pubescent or scabrid tip, obscurely 7-9-nerved ; >/j>j>cr glabrous. 

 ^ alves, lotrer glabrous, somewhat shorter than the glumes; awn of upper v;il\e 

 2^ inches long. Anthers 1 line long. Grain about 2 lines long. 



Habitat: NATAL. Bank of Tugela River (a form with very broad leaves), 

 B-IK-/II/IIHII 227 ; between Umzimkulu and Umkomaas Rivers, Drec/e ; near Dun- 

 dee, Green, var. ; Mooi River, 4-5000 feet alt, Matton 23, partly : Dundee, 4-5000 

 feet alt., drrcen 44 ; Mooi River, Mnson 42, 47 ; Zululand, Jenkimon 28 ; near 

 Maritzburg, St. d'eort/e. 



Drawn from Green's specimen. 



This species or some of its varieties are found throughout the tropics of the 

 Old World. Jenkinson says of his No. 28, which is a variety of the species : 

 ' Native name Insinda, hill tops and upland slopes, one of the most useful grasses 

 for all kinds of stock in spring and summer, gets very dry in winter." 



Fig. 1, Portion of plant and inflorescence, natural si/e ; 2, lifjulc : 3, raceme. J 

 spikclet 4, lower jrlume. Iiirolin-nil .*/n'/telrt 5, lower glume : 6, upper glume ; 7, lower 

 valve. .SV..</A- xpihrlft 8, lower glume: 9, upper glume: 10, lower valve: 11, upper valve 

 tvith portion of awn ; 12, pistil, stamens and lodieule,. K.rrrpt f(j. /, all eiiliin/fd. 



