PLATE 158. 



PANICUM MEYERIANUM, NEES. (Fl. Cap. Vol. VII. , p. 40u). 

 Nat. Order Graminea?. 



PERENNIAL. CULMS ascending from a decumbent branched rooting base 

 (always ?) rather stout, 2 to 3 feet long, terete, glabrous, 5 to many noded, 

 sheathed all along or the upper 1-2 nodes exserted. 



LEAVES more or less glaucous ; sheaths rather loose, glabrous, except at the 

 pubescent nodes, or with scattered tubercle-based hairs ; ligule a fringe of very 

 short hairs ; blades linear-lanceolate from a rounded contracted base, long tapering 

 to a fine point, 4 to 8 inches, by 3 to 6 lines, glabrous except at the minutely 

 villous junction with the sheath. 



PANICLE subpyramidal, 3 to 6 inches long, up to 4 inches wide ; axis very 

 slender, angular, glabrous or pubescent below the nodes, angles scaberulous at least 

 ih the upper part ; branches usually obliquely spreading, scattered or the lower 

 opposite or subopposite, the upper simple or subsimple. racemose ; the lower dis- 

 tantly branched almost from the finely tomentose base, more or less second, filiform, 

 scaberulous, the lowest up to 3 inches long ; pedicels solitary or 2-nate, the longer 

 up to 1 line long, filiform, scaberulous and usually with 1 to 3 fine long hairs, tips 

 discoid. 



SPIKELETS rather crowded, at least towards the tips of the branches and 

 branchlets, ovate-oblong, acute to subacuminate, 1^ line long, glabrous, glaucous,, 

 contracted at the base into a very short stalk. 



GLUMES ; lower minute, truncate or apiculate, hyaline, white or purplish : 

 upper membranous, oblong, acute to subacuminate, faintly 5-nerved. Florets, 

 lower male ; valve like the upper glume ; pale equal to the valve, oblong, anthers 

 |- line long ; perfect floret oblong, obtuse or minutely apiculate ; valve subcoriaceous. 

 5-nerved, whitish, very finely pitted ; anthers up to f line long. 



Habitat : NATAL. Near the Umzimkulu River, Drcye ; banks of the Tugela 

 River, Buchanan 266 ; Umhlanga, May, Wood 6057 ; 6062. 



Drawn from Wood's 6057. 



I have no information as to the value of this grass as a fodder. 



Fig. 1, Portion of rhacliis with spikelet; 2, lower glume; 3, lower valve; 4, pale; 

 6, stamens and lodicules ; 6, upper valve ; 7, pale ; 8, stamens, pistil and lodicules. All 

 enlarged. 



