416 GRAMINEE (Stapf). [Oplismenus. 
shortly awned, with or without a hyaline 2-nerved or more or less 
d 
Grain hy enclosed by the hardened valve and pale, oblong; 
hilum basal, oblong; embryo about + the length of the grain. 
Pereunial often weak grasses with eaten many-noded branched and ascending 
culms, the internodes of which have usually a decurrent villous line facing the 
subtending leaf; ligules thinly membranous, very short, Prcnptars ciliate ; blades 
at, thin, often slightly asymetrical; spikelets in small clusters or in spicate 
prone fangesy i generally secund on a slender triquetrou or 3-winged 
is ; the awn of the lower glume by far the longes 
abate about 8, in all the warmer parts of the world. 
The genus consists of 2 distinct groups, one, character psi by smooth rather 
thick and obtuse more or less viscous awns, corresponding to R. Brown’s genus 
hopogon, and another with capillary scabrid awns “Section Scabrisetz, 
Schlechtend.). The latter is not represented in South Afric 
. africanus (Beauv. Fl. Owar. ii. 15, t. 68, fig. 1); peren- 
g decum bent rooting 
base, 1-1} ft. high, slightly compressed below ; sheaths rather 
u 
from a slightly rounded base, acuminate, 2-5 in. by 4~—7 lin. (those of 
the lower leaves and barren shoots often much smaller and ovate- 
lanceolate), fiat, thin, dull green, soft, scantily and minutely hairy to 
almost ve — ati scaberulous above, at least upwards, margins 
scabrid ; racemes 3-8 on an erect straight or flexuous more or less 
3-wing ed shen or finely hairy axis, the lower distant, erect or 
shdiaeely spreading, 3-9 lin. long, rarely longer, the upper closer, 
much shorter or reduced to 2—3-spiculate clusters, the axis usually 
terminated by a solitary spikelet; rhachis of racemes straight, tri- 
are em dorsally flat, greyish from very minute adpressed hairs, 
y fringed with tuber ele-based bristles ae the African speci- 
brian tomentose or hispid at the base ; s 2-nate or solitary, 
very short and stout, usually with a few aca spikelets ovate- 
oblong, about 1+ lin. tongs greyish-green or green, ‘minutely bearded 
at the base ; glumes subequal, 1-12 lin. long, thinly herbaceous, 
ovate to elliptic, produced into filiform dabobteie smooth more or 
less viscous often purplish awns, hairy at least near the margins, 
rarely quite glabrous, lower 5-nerved, awn 3-6 lin. long, upper 7-5- 
erved, awn . long; lower floret barren, rarely ¢, equalling 
long ; aaa lin. ee gn Agrost. t,x i. fig. 3; ocak . i. 
141; Nees, Fl. Ajr. Austr. 60; Durand g Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr ¥- 
