68 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. 
narrow callus and produced beyond the base of the petiole to meet the ligule; ligule 
broad, cleft. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of spicate branchlets, bearing distant heads 
with a few very large flattened spikelets; heads 1 to 3 in. apart with 1 to 4 spikelets 
and very small bracts, rachis smooth, striate. Spikelets 12 in. long, "3 to 4 in. broad, 
compressed; empty glumes 2 to 3, lower with a separate imperfect blade, ovate-lanceolate, 
mucronate, many-veined, glabrous; flowers about 7 to 9 with 1 or 2 terminal imperfect 
ones; flowering glume ovate-lanceolate, long-acuminate, slightly ciliate on the edges and 
hairy within; palea shorter than flowering glume, 2-keeled, 7-nerved, ciliate on the keels, 
blunt. Lodicules small, obovate, 3—5-nerved, fimbriately ciliate. Stamens exserted, tube 
thickened at first, afterwards very fragile, membranous; anthers narrow, penicillate 
apiculate. Ovary narrowly ovoid, pubescent, narrowed into a slender style which is 
divided above into 3 plumose stigmas. 
Malaya: collected by Mr. Alwis, in Malacca, in 1886 for the Singapore Botanic 
Garden. | 
This has more the appearance of Bambusa than of Gigantochloa, but the monadelphous 
stamens are conclusive. It comes very near to С. heterostachya, but the spikelets аге 
larger and compressed. It is said to be used for basket-msking and to be called Вши 
tilán miniak. It is at once recognised by the very large flattened spikelets. 
PrarE No. 59.—Gigantochloa latispiculata, Gamble. 1, leaf-branch; 2, flowering branch 
—of natural size ; 3, spikelet; 4, empty glume; 5, flowering glume; 6, palea; 7, lodicule; 
8, staminal tube and anthers; 9, anthers; 10, ovary with style and stigmas; 11, leaf 
sheath—en/arged. (АП from the Malacca specimen.) 
6. Oxytenanthera, Munro. 
Arborescent or scandent bamboos, usually of medium or small size, unarmed, often 
gregarious. Culms from a thick rhizome, usually creeping underground and stoloniferous ; 
culm-sheaths various, usually rather narrow, the imperfect blade also narrow. Leaves 
variable, but generally small, shortly petiolate, as in Bambusa. Inflorescence a large panicle 
with spicate heads of few or many spikelets. Spikelets narrow, elongate, conical, bearing 
1, 2 or З flowers, the uppermost usually fertile. Empty glumes 1 to 3, flowering glumes 
ovate, elongated, mucronate. Ра/ға of lower flowers 2-keeled, of uppermost flower con- 
volute, only little or not at all keeled. Lodicules none. Stamens monadelphous, exserted, 
tube thickened at first, afterwards membranaceous, elongate; anthers narrow, acute or 
apiculate. Ovary ovoid, style fine, stigmas 1 to 3, usually more or less plumose. 
Caryopsis elongate, terminated by a beak formed by the persistent style base, grooved, 
embryo conspicuous. | 
DisrRis.— Nine species, eight herein described and one (0. abyssinica, Munro) of 
Tropical Africa. 
Analysis of the species. 
Heads usually few-flowered (Burmese and Malay species). 
Edges of glumes ciliate. 
СШ of glumes black or purple . . . . . . . . 1. O. nigrociliata. 
p > ` White, spikelets glabrous . . . . . 2. О. albocihata. 
> _ pale, spikelets е many . . 3. О. sinuata. 
Edges of pou not ciliate ... :'. us 4. О. parvifoha, 
