57 



function rather as water storage cells than as motor cells, but 

 the leaf may fold from the midrib. It does not roll up from 

 the margin. There are one or two smaller bundles between 

 each pair of main vascular bundles. A. hirtus is a good graz- 

 ing grass, having little sclerenchyma. It is also used for 

 thatching. 



Anthephora pubescens occurs on rocky hillsides of the 

 central and northern parts Griqualand West, Transvaal, 

 Basutoland and Bechuanaland. The other species A. hock' 

 itetteri, A. undulatifolia, A. schinzii are all Western. 



Anthistiria imberbis ( ^= Themeda triandra Forsk) (Eooi 

 gras or Red grass, inSinde). The most important grass in 

 South Africa. Stapf distinguishes three varieties, viz., 

 mollicoTna, with leaves, spathes, and involucral spikelets 

 densely villous, argentea, leaves silvery, spathes and involu- 

 cral spikelets glabrous or scantily hairy, and burchellii with 

 a panicle laxer than the type, spathes longer (often up to 2in. 

 or more), fascicles of 2-3 racemes only, involucral spikelets 

 4-6 lin. long glabrous or sub-glabrous. Hackel has another 

 variety glauca which probably represents the dry valley or 

 Low Veld type "Blue grass." All the varieties with inter- 

 mediate stages may be found growing together. Anthistiria 

 is dominant over most of the Eastern Grassveld, forming 

 either pure consociations, or associated with various Andro- 

 pogon species, e.g., A. hirtus, A. ceresiaeformis . It forms 

 a fairly close covering over the surface of the soil. Its inno- 

 vation buds are intravaginal, and it does not withstand burn- 

 ing well. Its seeds prefer germinating in shade, as it rarely 

 colonizes bare soil, but rather comes up in the middle of a 

 tuft of some pioneer species like Aristida or Eragrostis. Its 

 roots are rather shallow and spreading. It ousts the Aristida 

 and Eragrostis species, partly by shading and smothering 

 them, partly by depriving them of their water supply, through 

 its roots growing above theirs. Under moister conditions it 

 gives way to various Cymbopogons (Tambookie grasses), which 

 grow still taller, and form a type of grassland which is tran- 

 sitional to Bush. Anthistiria being such a variable type is 

 able to adapt itself to widely different climatic conditions. It 

 is fairly common, and forms small clans or societies among 

 the Macchia shrubs of the South West. It is dominant over 

 most of the Eastern High Veld, growing 2-3 feet tall, and 

 flowering very freely. In the drier valleys of the Low Veld 

 it forms a dense glaucous covering of herbage, a foot or so 



