PLATE 191. 



AVENASTRUM CAFFRUM, Stapf. Var (?) natalensis, Stapf. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII , 



p. 477). 



Nat. Order Gramineae. 

 CULMS 2 feet long, glabrous, 3 to 4-noded, sheathed to the base of the panicle. 



LEAVES 4 to 6 near the base, 3 higher up ; sheaths tight below, loose or open 

 above, glabrous ; ligule oblong, up to f line long ; blades very narrow, subsetaceous, 

 convolute, the lower 5 to 7 inches long, those of the barren shoots to i foot long, 

 glabrous, closely and strongly few-nerved, margins rough. 



PANICLE contracted, about 6 inches long, slightly nodding and subflaccid ; 

 rhachis filiform ; branches fascicled, very unequal, the longest up to 2 inches long, 

 sparingly branched or simple, finely filiform, flexuous, erect, scaberulous to finely 

 hispidulous. 



SPIKELETS 4 to 4^- lines long, loosely 3 to sub-4-flowered ; rhachilla joints very 

 slender, up to I line long, with long white hairs. 



GLUMES very thin, lanceolate, acuminate, often aristulate, the lower 2 to 2 

 lines, the upper 2j to 3j lines long. Valves exserted, linear-lanceolate, the lowest 

 3 to 4 lines long, glabrous, pallid, rather thin, smooth, faintly nerved, tips scarious, 

 sub-bifid, produced into short, fine bristles ; callus J line long, bearded ; awn from 

 above the middle, fine, pallid, column 2^ to 2 lines long, bristle 5 lines long. -Pales 

 3 lines long ; keels minutely ciliolate. Anthers up to J line long ; ovary top 

 hispidulous. 



VAR (?) NATALENSIS, Stapf. Internodes exserted, very minutely puberulous 

 below the nodes. Leaves up to 2 lines broad, flat or involute, subflaccid, more or 

 less hairy above. Spikelets rather smaller than in the typical form. 



Habitat: NATAL. Var. natalensis, Riet Vlei, 4000 to 5000 feet alt., 

 Buchanan 238. 



Drawn from Buchanan's 238, the only specimen in the Herbarium. 



Kig 1, Spikelet, glumes removed ; 2, lower glume ; 3, upper glume ; 4, valve ; 5, pale ; 

 6, pistil, stamens and lodicules. All culurijed. 



