244 XXVIII. GRAMiNE.E. [Eragvostis 



shorter than the ghime, keels minutely scabridulous above the 

 middle ; grain reddish, ellipsoidal. 



Culm nearly 5 ft. high ; basal sheaths to 3 in. long, the upper 

 3^ to 9 in.; leaves 6 to 12 in. long, greatest width scarcely 

 li line. Root-fibres a good line in diameter. Panicle 11 to 13 in. 

 long, by 3 to 4 in. greatest diameter, lowest node haiiy, branches 

 5i in. long or less, branchlets ^' in. or less ; spikelets generally 

 2^ to 3 lines long ; lower barren gl. | to i line, upper neai'ly 1 line 

 long ; flowering glumes 1 line ; anthers | line ; grain ^y line. 



Near the last species {£J. huillensis) which it closely resembles 

 in stem- and leaf-characters, but is distinguished by its more 

 delicate ^?ra.-like panicle, with whorled branches, less robust 

 spikelets, and subequal barren glumes. 



PUNGO Andongo. — Pedras de Guinga ; Jan. 1857. No. 2749. 



22. E. curvula Nees Fl. Afr. Austr. p. 397 (1841). 

 Var. decorans Rendle var. nov. 



E. decorans Welw. ms. in hei-b. 



A fine plant over 2 ft. high, with long rigidulous linear-tapering 

 flattened to subconvolute leaves and a somewhat stronger panicle 

 than in the type, over 8 in. long ; spikelets slightly broader than 

 in the type, with slightly larger blunter more elliptical fertile 

 glumes. 



HuiLLA. — A common grass in the interior highlands used by the 

 negresses as bracelets. Plentiful on the margins of fields in the 

 Lopollo district ; Jan. and Feb. 18()0. No. 2645. 



23. E. densiflora Rendle sp. nov. 



A cfespitose annual, culms spreading-ascending then erect, often 

 branched, nodes brown, glabrous, internodes 5 to 6, slender but 

 strong, terete, glabrous, except the uppermost subequal and not 

 elongated ; sheaths, except the lowest, i to ^ shorter than the 

 internode, subcompressed, glabi-ous ; ligule a short dense row of 

 hairs ; blades rigidulous, glabrous, ascending, linear-tapering, 

 becoming convolute, apex subsetiform ; panicle very dense, flexuose, 

 linear-lanceolate, rhachis slender, branches filiform, whorled and 

 scattered, suberect, nodes glabrous; branchlets short, appressed, 

 bearing 2 to 4 shortly stalked spikelets ; spikelets narrow, 

 linear, compressed, 14- to 20-flowered, dull purplish-green; barren 

 glumes unequal, the lower small, lanceolate, blunt, 1 -nerved, 

 sometimes enerved, scarious, caducous, the upper lanceolate, acute, 

 1 -nerved, carinulate and scabridulous in the upper two-thirds, 

 margins and apex scarious ; fertile glumes ovate, blunt, 3-nerved, 

 lateral nerves imperfect, minutely scabridulous dorsally below the 

 apex, tip scarious, brownish ; pale slightly shorter, keels scabridu- 

 lous in the upper third, anthers brown ; grain reddish, laterally 

 subcompressed, ellipsoidal. 



Plants scarcely 1 ^ ft. high ; internodes except the uppermost 

 1|- to 2 in. long, by ^ to |^ line in diameter, the sheaths |^to 1~- in., 

 ligule barely | line long, leaves 1^ to 3 in. long, by 1 line or less 



