PLATE 117. 



Andeopogon riLiFOLius (Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. i. 374). 



Perennial, densely tufted. — Culms erect, slender, 1-2|- feet long, glabrous, 

 terete, about 3-noded, simple. 



Leaves mainly crowded at the base. Sheaths shorter than the internodes, 

 terete, tight, glabrous, lowest persistent, at length breaking up into fibres ; ligules 

 membranous, very short, truncate. Blades very narrow, convolute, filiform, acute, 

 lowest |-1 foot long, upper very short, firm, flexuous, glabrous or hairy at the base. 



Racemes 2-nate, 2^-3|- inches long, stout, strict ; joints and pedicels subequal 

 and similar, cuneate-linear, 2j-3i lines long, densely and shortly villous along the 

 margins, tips hollowed, unequally toothed. Sessile s2yH>ehts laterally compressed, 

 wedged in between joint and pedicel, 3|--lines long, callus slender, l-l|^line long, 

 acute, densely bearded. Glumes subcoriaceous, glabrous, smooth ; hnvei- linear, obtuse, 

 tips hyaline, keels narrow, rounded, smooth, almost contiguous, with a deep very 

 narrow groove (fold) between them ; ?(jjpe7' boat-shaped, l-sub-3-nerved, ciliate. 

 Valves subequal ; loiver oblong-linear, 2-nerved, ciliate ; tipper linear deeply bifid, 

 3-nerved, lobes oblongs ciliolate. Awn stout, 2-2^ inches long, kneed at the middle, 

 pubescent below. Pale ovate, acute, Ij line long, nerveless, glabrous. Anthers 

 2^ lines long. Pedicelled spiheleU male, dorsally compressed or subterete, lanceo- 

 late, 6-8 lines long, glabrous, often purplish. Glumes, /o?rcr herbaceous, 2-toothed, 

 one tooth often prolonged into a bristle {to 3 lines long), acutely 2-keeled, intra- 

 carinal nerves many (to 20) ; vjtjx')- finely acuminate, 3-nerved, ciliate. Valves, 

 lotver linear-oblong, acute, 4 lines long, 3-2-nerved, ciliate ; vp'per linear, 1 -nerved 

 glabrous, muticous. Pale linear, 2 lines long, nerveless. Anthers 3|- lines long. 



Ea,bita,t : Natal. Eiet Vlei, Buchanan 197 ; near Newcastle, Bvchanan 195. 



Figured from Buchanan's 197, which is the only specimen in the Natal Govern- 

 ment Herbarium. Buchanan's 195 is also in the Herbarium, but the jDortion of it 

 that we have proves to be wholly A. schirensis. Stamens and pistil were not 

 found in the specimen from which the artist drew the figure, and could not there- 

 fore be shown in the drawing, and this species has not been sent by any contributor. 



Ihis plant has been gathered in Cape Colony and Transvaal, but apparently 

 is not very common in Natal. 



Fig. 1, Plant about natural size. Ped'celled spike^et — 2, lower glume ; 3, upper glume ; 

 4, lower valve ; 5, upper valve ; G, pale. Sessile spikelet — 7, lower glume, back view ; 7a, same, 

 front view ; 8, upper glume ; 9, lower valve ; 10, upper valve ; 1 1, pale. Except Jiij. 1, all 

 en larged. 



