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hrizanthinn (sect Brachiaria). A few species belong to the 

 tydrosere, being distinctly Vlei plants, e.g., P. crus-pavonis 

 var. ro-itratum, P. fyramidale, P. stagninum, P. deustum, P. 

 intevrwptum . 



There remain the ruderal species which are widely distri- 

 buted, but chiefly over the Eastern side. They are of most 

 interest to the farmer for many of them are good grazing 

 grasses. The commonest are P. isachne, P. helopus var. 

 glahrescens, P. trichopus, P. crus-galli, and two (eu-Panicums) 

 with spreading panicles P. laevifnlium and P. proliferum. var. 

 longijubatum. P. laevifolium is an autumn grass, which is of 

 value as making a good hay. It is very common often in cul- 

 tivated land. There are also a few pj)ecies which are pro- 

 bably introuced, e.g., P. miliar e, P. re pens, P. capillar e. 



With the exception of the tufted caespitose forms like 

 P. natalense the majority of the species of Panicum are meso- 

 phytic or hygrophilous, and are tropical in their affinities, in 

 fact the majority of them are confined to the frost free locali- 

 ties in South Africa. Their leaves are flaccid and often deli- 

 cate without much selerenchyma, and without ' pronounced 

 ridges, resembling those of Setaria, Digitaria, Tricholaena, 

 or Tristachya. The chlorophyll tissue sometimes surrounds 

 the bundles, in other cases it is distributed evenly along the 

 central line, and has water storage tissue above and below. 

 There are often fairly large intercellular spaces. 



Paspalum. P. scrobiculatum (isAmuyisane) is common 

 as a weed in cultivated land, and also in Vleis in Eastern Cape 

 Colony and Natal. It is eaten by stock, when it is young, 

 but as the seeds begin to mature it becomes poisonous. P. 

 distichum. is fairly common in the coast Vleis of Natal. 

 Several other species have been introduced, e.g., P. digitaria 

 (at the Cape), P. virgatum, and most important of all P. 

 dilatatum, which has been foxmd to be a valuable grazing and 

 fodder grass. It is widely grown and is capable of holding 

 its own against the indigenous grasses. The Paspalums 

 resemble closely the Panicums of the section Brachiaria with 

 secund false spikes. 



Pennisetum. This is typically a Vlei genus, but P. 

 typhoideum is cultivated by the natives sometimes and occurs 

 in moist waste land. P. cenchroides is also often ruderal, but 

 sometimes occurs on stony hillsides as well as along streams. 

 P. macrourum is chiefly South Western and Central, P. 

 natalense, P. sphacelatum, P. tmisetum are Eastern, and P. 



