POTAMOPRTLA, R. Br. 



SPIKELETS laterally slightly compressed, on short or rather long pedicels 

 panicled ; rhachilla jointed above the rudimentary basal glumes. Florets 3 ; lower 

 2 reduced to minute empty valves, uppermost hermaphrodite or unisexual with the 

 organs of the other sex reduced. 



_ GLUMES reduced to very minute rounded or truncate scales, or to an obscure, 

 entire or bilobed^ hyaline rim. Empty valves very small, hyaline, nerveless, 

 subulate or elliptic and rounded or lo'bed ; fertile valve membranous, 5-nervedi 

 awnless, nerves raised, sometimes slightly winged. Pale 3-nerved ; ' otherwise 

 similar to the fertile valve. Lodicules 2, finely nerved. Stamens 6. Styles 

 distinct ; stigmas feathery. Grain obovate, compressed, crowned by the thickened 

 buses of the styles, enclosed by the unaltered glume and pale, free. 



Rather tall aquatic grasses, blades flat ; ligules membranous ; panicle eft'use or 

 contracted. 



Species 3, 1 in South Africa, 1 in Madagascar, and I in New South Wales. 



PLATE 44:4, 



POTAMOPHILA PREHENSILTS, Bentll. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII., p. f>59). 



Nat. Order Gramiuene. 



STEMS several feet high, branched, mainy-noded, slightly compressed or terete, 

 glabrous, smooth ; internodes up to 4 inches long ; branches spreading at a right 

 angle or almost so ; leaf-sheaths rather tight, shorter than or as long as the inter- 

 nodes, slightly compressed and more or less keeled, strongly striate, scabrid in the 

 uppermost part of the keel, hairy near the mouth or glabrous, except the sometimes 

 minutely villous nodes ; ligule membranous, oblong or truncate, to 1 line long, 

 pubescent ; blades linear-lanceolate from a very short contracted base, acute, 3 to 

 5 inches by 3 to 6 lines, flat, flaccid, glaucous, sparingly hairy and minutely scabrid 

 on both sides, margins and midrib very rough from minute reversed spines ; 

 primary nerves 3 to 4 on each side. 



PANICLE terminal, 4 to f> inches long, open, very lax, rigid ; branches spreading, 

 fine, up to 4 inches long, the lowest usually paired, sparingly branched, compressed 

 and angular, scaberulous or smooth below, branchlets 2-3-spiculate ; pedicels 1 to 

 ~ lines long. 



SIMKELETS lanceolate-oblong, acute, 3 to 4 lines long, slightly twisted, pallid. 



GLUMES extremely minute truncate hyaline scales. Valves, empty one 

 subulate, J to f line long, nerveless ; fertile valve tightly clasping the similar pale 

 with the inflexed margins, nsrves raised, slightly winged, scaberulous. Lodicules 

 ovate ; anthers 3 lines long ; styles J line long ; stigma exserted near the base of 

 the valve, 1 to 1 J line long. Grain unknown. 



Habitat : NATAL. Near the mouth of the Qm/imkulu River, in copses and 

 woods, D)-<>(/(>; Umbilo waterfall, licit maun 8150; Umpumulo. to 2000 feet, 

 common in bush, lixclianan 288 ; Inanda, Wood 1305. 



Drawn from Buchanan's 288. 



Fig 1, A glume; 2 and 3, empty valves; 4, fertile valve; 5, pale; 6, pistil, stamens 

 and lodioules. All rnlnryrd. 



