680 GRAMINEH (Stapf). [ Ehrharta. 
5-7-nerved, bearded at the base in front and behind, keel long- 
ciliate, margins ciliolate; upper empty valve similar, but longer, 
obscurely transversely rugose, scantily hairy below, obscurely ridged 
and bearded on each side of the base; fertile valve lingar- 
oblong, truncate, almost as long as the preceding gene: glabrous, 
7-nerved ; lodieules glabrous, 1 lin. long; stamens - ers 2 lin. 
long. Nees, Fl. Afr. Austr. 215; Steud. Syn, Pl. yen LB; 
Durand § Schins, Consp. Fl. Afr. Austr. WV. TGs 
Coast Recion: Vanrhynsdorp Div.; near Ebenezer, among shrubs, 300 ft., 
Drége ! Karee Bergen, 1500 ft., Beilochtor, 8281! 
WESTERN REGION: Little ‘Namaqualand Kamies Bergen, Vallei Fontein, 
and near the mouth of the Orange River, Ecklon, Kaus Mountain, 2500 ft., 
Goedemans Kraal, and near Hanis ag Drége. 
24. E. gigantea (Thunb. Prodr. 192); perennial, stoloniferous ; 
young stolons stout, densely covered with villous scales ; culms erect, 
stout, simple, up to 6 ft. high, terete, green, glabrous, except below, 
about 3-noded, internodes exserted, base covered with about 6 tightly 
adpressed imbricate firm tomentose ultimately glabrescent blade- 
less sheaths; blade-bearing sheaths tight, terete, lowest finely 
tomentose, following glabrous, long (uppermost over 1 ft.) ; ligules 
very ru ciliate ; blades inear, from an almost clasping base, acute, 
up to y 3 lin. ., firm, involute, glabrous, smooth ; panicle linear, 
erect, 1 ft, ‘long; rhachis slender, flexuous in the upper part, smooth _ 
below, scaberulous above; branches in pours distant contracted 
fascicles, ican up to 2 in, long 
except at the ciliolate aa lower 1- to Pm oe 
3- to sub-5-nerved ; barren valves similar, coriaceous, long villous an 
ciliate along the margins, awned, awn 2 lin. lo ng and scabrid ; lower 
4-43 lin. long, linear, 3- to sab: 5-nerved, bearded at the base ne 
front and behind, upper 51-6 lin. long linear-obl ong, 5< 30 ee 
3 in long. Thu nb. Fi. Cap. ed. Schult. 336; Sw. in Trans 
- Soc, vi. 58, 4, fig. 8; Schrad. in Goett. Gel. sath 
(sz) 2079, ine Schult. f. Syst. vii. 1875; me 
pa Pl. i. 14; Trin. Phalar. 16, and in Mém. Acad. Pétersb. se? Pl. 
6, v. 62. Melica gigantea, Tin. Prodr. 21; Willd. Spec 
1. 382. Aira villosa, Linn. f. Suppl. 109. 
es 0} 
Var. 8, Neesii (Stapf) ; culms shorter, more slender, 4-5-noded ; Ler oeiey 
06 in, long ; spikelets 44-5} lin. long; fertile valve sometimes scanti - LO 
on ches sides. E. gigantea, Nees, Fl. Afr. Austr. 216 ; Steud. oh oe Pl. Glum- E 
Durand § Schinz, Consp, Fl. Afr. v. 792 (ewcl. syn.) | 
