4i8 cxLii. ghaminejE. 



4G. DACTYLOCTENIUM, Willd. 



Spikclcts 2-scveral-flowcrcd, unilateral, in digitate spikes ; 

 flowers distichous. Outer glumes 2, compressed, keeled, shorter 

 than the flowering, membranous, the upper awned. Plovvering 

 glume strongly keeled, subulate-aristate, 3-nerved, the lateral 

 nerves near the margin ; palea 2-uerved. — Nees, I. c. p. 249. 



An annual grass, found in most hot counti'ies ; at Natal. 



47. ElEUSINE, Giertn. 



Spikelets 2-seyeral-flowered, unilateral in tufted spikes ; 

 flowering glumes distichous, imbricate. Outer glumes 2, 

 keeled, membranous, pointless, shorter than the flower, the 

 lower smaller. Flowering glume pointless, obtuse, entire, 

 keeled, closely 3-nerved at back ; palea 2-nerved, obtuse. — 

 Nees, I. c. p. 250. 



Ti-opical grasses, often cultivated. — E. Indica and F. Coracana occur in 

 Cafiraria and at Katal. 



48. CHLOmS, Sw. 



Spikelets 2-8-flowered, sessile along one side of a common 

 rachis, in digitate spikes, 1-3 of the lower flowering glumes 

 fertile, awned under the apex, the rest neuter, awned or 

 pointless. Outer glumes 2, membranous, persistent, acute, 

 the upper sometimes short-awned. Flowering glume 3-nerved, 

 triangular-keeled, awned under the apex, and usually ciliated 

 at the back and margin ; palea 2-keeled, with a straight, 

 unjointed awn. Grrain elongate. — Nees, I. c. p. 239. 

 2 Cape species, Eastern. 



49. SPARTINA, Schreb. 



Spikelets 1-flowered, compressed, racemose. Outer glumes 

 2, rigid, keeled, unequal, the low^er smaller, narrower, 1- 

 nerved, upper 3-nerved, much larger. Flowering glume mem- 

 branous, pointless, compressed-keeled ; palea longer, boat-like, 

 2-nerved. — Nees, I.e. p. 2G0. 



A widely-dispersed genus, of which there is 1 Cape species. 



50. TETRACHNE, Nees. 



Spikelets many-flowered, sessile in a compound spike. 

 Outer glumes keeled, 1-uerved. Flowering glumes imbri- 

 cated, with 2 interior empty glumes below the fertile ones. 

 Flowering glume rigidly herbaceous, acutely keeled, 3-5- 

 nerved, somewhat mucronate below the apex ; palea sub- 

 equal, sharply and prominently 2-keeled, subacute, with 



