Panicum. ] GRAMINER (Stapf). 383 
upper cane the upper floret or almost so, sometimes cuspidate or 
caudate-aristate, 5-13-nerved. Lower valve equalling the upper or 
longer, more or rie resembling the upper glume ; upper valve coria- 
ceous to crustaceous, rarely chartaceous, 5_7-nerved. Pales usually 
upper floret. Lodieules 2, broadly cuneate. Stamens 3. Styles 
distinet ; stigmas laterally exserted below the tip of the floret. Grain 
tightly enclosed by the hardened valve and pale, oblong or ellipsoid ; 
hilum — punctiform, or orbicular ; embryo equalling about + of 
the gra 
Perennial or annual of various habit ; nico usually reduced to a ciliate rim 
or a fringe of py rarely a distinct me embrane, r 0; panicle bgneind mo ont «3 
ax, contracted or effuse, or consisting o enily secund, 2-4-, 
ma ried ranked spike-like branches, rarely converted into pa ey aphee A an 
spikes. 
— 200 to 250, mainly in the warm regions of the world. 
I am inclined to restrict the genus Panicum, so far as it is represented in 
Africa, 1 he sections Brachiaria, a Sage Eu-Panicum of Hooker and 
Bentham’s Genera Plantarum, and my Vilfoidee. Even thus defined, 
Panicwm is still pkctons than any other ce “of Graminee, except Andropogon 
(in the sense of Hackel), and comprises grasses of very different aspect. The 
easons for separating Digitaria and Trichelena and treating them as distinct 
i , i i f these genera. 
e affi 
Panicex, whether sete: poms subgenera or sections, ar are very close and intricate, 
and if we insist on absolute be aracters for the definition of ape little w ould be 
left of this tribe out ci a e and very heterogeneous gen icwm. 
Sec Aer apyer ns n.). tig in racemosely arranged secund or 
Pe cient simple o almost simple usually 35° arely 1. or Lentked false atk; 
glumes and lower ‘aK cals cuspidate, never awned. 
sig 09 Popes l-ranked, 23 lin. long, turgid, ver, y 
, glabrous ; fruiting valve fine ely pitted (1) brizanthum. 
Spikelets 2 2., rarely 4-ranke d, «tie than 23 lin. 1 ng : : 
Spikelet ts turgid, silky-villous, upper hairs gathered 
glabrous black stalk, 2 lin. lon (2) nigropedatum. 
Spikelets a constricted at the bee e, 1-14 li 
___, long with pinkish or purplish tufts of ra Sg (3) serratum, 
Spikelets ot turgid, hairy (but not ren a = 
nor with subterminal tufts of hairs or only w 
pire: Se minute ones in P, Marlothi), or beste 
gia 
Spikelets 1 in, es finely pubescen 
es 4-1 in. long, pean og more or 
ge essed to a much longer © ommon 
(4) Isachne. 
