646 GRAMINER (Stapf). [ Bleusine. 
Fl. Ind. i. 344; Kunth, lc. 273; Steud. 211. #. Tocussa, 
Fresen. in Mus. Senckenb. ii. (1837) 141; A. "ich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. 
ii. 411; Steud. l.c.; Dur and § Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 866. 
HasTERN ReGion: Nata a coffee plantation, near Durban, Drége, 4294! 
Wiltiamson, 42! Tugela, Buchanan, 182 ! and oe precise locality, Gerrard, 
469! Zululand Wand 3869 ! Delagoa Bay, Forbes 
Cultivated by the natives as a cereal and for natin beer. 
rown in many parts of tropical Africa, tropical Arabia, and apnea 
India; originated very probably from E. indica. The figure in Gaertn 
represe ig bee eh as smooth (not striate) ; there i ‘ie little doubt that it refers to 
a vari ich is grown in India and in Southern Arabia, ree ait: by 
ck, *itish ‘nelle. This T have not seen from part of Afric 
LX. DACTYLOCTENIUM, Willd. 
Spikelets 3-5-flowered, laterally pelaae ne densely imbricate, 
biseriate, s sonatte, unila eral on a flattened rhachis, the uppermost 
redueed ; rhachilla tardily darieclnne above the glumes, tough 
between. the valves. orets &, the uppermost rudimentary. 
Glumes 2, unequal, strongly keeled, the lower ovate, acute, thin, 
persistent, the upper elliptic- ablong in profile, obtuse, mucronate 
; sig deciduous. Valves ovate, subacuminate, 3-nerved, 
wned, d grai 
long as the java 2-keeled, subpersistent. Lodicules 2, cuneate, 
minute. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous; styles distinct, very long, 
subterminally exserted. Grain subglobose, slightly laterally com- 
pressed, not grooved or hollowed, rugose or punctate; pericarp 
delicate, irregularly breaking away ; as — equalling 
1 the — th of the grain ; hilum basal, punctiform 
or per ian leaves flat, subflaccid; spikes in umbels of 2-6, 
eect oF culictey spreading ; tips of the rhachis barren, mucroniform, usually 
curv' 
Species 3; 1 widely spread throughout the tropics. 
1. D. egyptiacum (Willd. Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. 1029); 
annual, 1-14 ft. high; stems sometimes prostrate, rooting from the 
proliferously branched nodes; culms geniculately ascending, ¢o™- 
pressed, 2—3-noded, glabrous, smooth, internodes exserted ; sheaths 
striate, "the lower whitish, keeled above, glabrous, or scantily hispid; 
ligules membranous, very short, scantily ciliolate; blades linear, 
tapering toa fine point, 1-5 in. by 1-2 lin., flat, subflaecid, glaucous, 
glabrous or hispid or hispidly ciliate, hares tubercle-based ; 
2-6, rarely solitary, 3-2 in. long, light or dark olive-grey ; . rhachis 
keeled, seabrid ; spikel ets 3—-5-flowered, ‘spreading at right angles 
up t 01k lin, rong, glabrous ; lower glume about % lin. long, the upP® 
Geicatatety te eronate or awned ; awn curved, ‘someti mes exceeding 
M glume ; zie 11-11 lin. long, mucronate or pleat anthe 
about 1—% lin. lon ain 1-8 Jin, long, very rugos' 
Beauv. "Agrost. ‘ a ae 3 2; “Kun th, sa i. 2615 Suppl ni 
A. Rich. Tent. Fl. rr a ii. 406 ; Steud. Syn. Pl. G 
