34 



2. Almost glabrous. Culms very wiry, l-2ft. long ... 



E. scoparius. 



All parts softly glandular^pubescent. Nodes villous. 



Culms not wiry 3 



3. Culms 2-6 inches long. Side nerves of glume evanescent 



above ... ..; E. brachystaehyns. 



Culms i-3 ft. long. Two side nerves of the upper glume 

 percurrent E. mollis. 



ERAGROSTIS. 



1. Valves or pales long ciliate 2 



Valves and pales not long ciliate 3 



?. Perennial. Both valves and" pales ciliate E. lappula. 



Annual. Pales ciliate. Valves not ciliate except some- 

 times at the base of the keel E. ciliaris. 



3. Spikelets small, breaking up into false fruits consisting 



of the grain enclosed by its valve and pale 4 



Spikelets variously breaking up but not into false 

 fruits 6 



4. Panicle large, very lax. Spikelets linear, on long fme 



pedicels. All parts scabrid E. aspera. 



Panicle linear to oblong, usually contracted. Spikelets 

 very shortly pedicelled 5 



5. Perennial. Valves f lin. long. Culms usually viscous 



at. the nodes E. gummillua. 



Annual. Valves 2-5 lin. long. Culms not viscous ... 



E. namaquensis. 



6. Spikelets orbicular to ovate — oblong in outline, obtuse, 



not more than twice as long as broad. Rachilla 



usually disarticulating 7 



Spikelets linear to oblong, often several times longer than 

 broad. Rachilla usually persistent 13 



7. Spikelets very flat, straw coloured, articulate with pedi- 



cels, deciduous E. superba. 



Spikelets not deciduous with the pedicels, breaking up, 

 smaller 8 



8. Spikelets ovate or suborbicular, strongly compressed, 



2-6 hn. by 1^-3^ lin E. brizoides, 



Spikelets smaller. Valves not more than 1 lin. long... 9 



9. Culms branched E. echinochloidea. 



Culms simple 10 



10. Small annual. Valve about i lin. long .., E. brizantha. 



Perennial. Valve about 1 lin. long li 



li; Spikelets on capillary branches and pedicels ... E. obtusa. 



Spikelets crowded on very short pedicels or subsessile 12 



