PLATE 122. 



Andropogon Nardtw (Linn. Sp. Plant. 104G), vur. validus (Stapf. FL Cap. vii. 352), 



Perennial, densely tufted, innovation shoots intiavaginal. 



Culms slender, erect, 4-7 feet long, glabrous, smooth, stout, simple and 

 4-5-noded below the spurious panicle, longest internodes oflen 1 foot long, or 

 longer. 



Leaves mainly crowded near the base. Sheaths tight, glabrous, excei)t the 

 lowermost, which are fuguciously hairy to tomentose at the very base, and 

 9-12 inches long, very firm and pei'sistent, the u})per 1-2, much shorter than the 

 internodes; ligules very firm, rounded, up to 2-3 lines long. Blades narrow, 

 linear, very long, tapering to a fine point, 2 feet long, by 2|^-4^ lines wide, flat, 

 ligid, glabrous, margins scabrid. 



Panicles more or less comjoound, spatliaceous, iisually narrow, 6-12 inches 

 long, with a distant flowering branch below it. Racemes |-f inch long, finally 

 deflexed or horizontally spreading, subtended by lanceolate, boat-shaped, many 

 nerved, scarious, often i-eddish si)atlies 7-9 lines long, on slender common peduncles, 

 which are 4-8 inches long ; joints and pedicels lineai', slender, al)out 1 line long, 

 densely hairy along the margins, tips cupular, irregularly toothed. Spikelets of 

 the lowest pair of the sessile raceme male, like the pedicelled ones ; the sessile of 

 all the other pairs perfect. Pe)-fect spikelcts lanceolate, '2\-2]^ lines long, reddish 

 above. Glumes, loircr sub-chartaceous, minutely 2-tnothed or subacute, dorsally 

 flattened, or slightly depressed, glabrous, keels widened above into narrow or broad, 

 often serrulate, scarious wings, intracarinal nerves 2-4, unequal, evanescent !)elow ; 

 callus short, minutely beanlt-d ; njiitci' lanceolate, acute or mucronate, 1-nerved, 

 glabrous, keel narrowly winged. Valves hyaline, loirrr lanceolate- linear, 1^-2 lines 

 long, ciliate ; iippcr linear, very narrow, bifid, l^-lf line long, l-]iei'ved, lobes fine, 

 ciliate. Awn slender, 6-7 lines lonii', kneed at or below the middle, u'lal)rous below. 

 Pale 0. Anthers 1 line long. (h'ain 1-|- line long. PciIircUril sjiiJcclcf male, 

 lanceolate acute, 2^ lines long. Glumes, luvrr many nerved ; ni>pcv ."'.-nerved, 

 keels of both scabrid. Valves, loirct- linear, obtuse, nerveless or 2-nerved at the 

 base, l\ line long ; tijipcj- 0. Pale 0. 



Habitat: Natal. Ne;.r Durban, WiJ/iamso)/. 52 ; Kjrmss S7 ; Inanda, Wnml 

 1G22 ; near Maritzburg, Rclniiann. 7^100; Dvnidee, (r'lrcK 72. 



J. A^arr/z/.s' is a very variable species ; tlie tyjie is Indian, and has not been 

 found in South Africa, but A\'e have ."] \'arieties viz., iii<(r(/in((tiis (Hack.), 

 pi-<)/i.riis (Stapf), and ra/ub's (Stapf). We find tliat tliese varieties run very 

 closely together, so that it is often difficult to distingui.sh between thorn. Speci- 

 mens from Mr. (Jreeii, 114 and 87, and Mr. Swanfield's without number, are 

 jjrobably near to the variety Qvajyindlvs. The Flora ol" Britisli India describes 

 9 varieties, none of which appear to be identical with the African ones. 



Fi.H'. 1, Culm. ii|i])ci- ])ortioti, Icinfs and iiiUdn'sccnfc, aljcmt natural si/.c ; 2, .-^patlic and 

 2-nate racemes ; .'i, joint and pedicel. Scxxilr prrfcct .i/iikr/if- 4. Knver glume ; .', iqijiei- li'lume. 

 6, lower \-iiK-e ; 7, ii])pcr valve ; H, stamens, ])istil and lodirules. /'nl/rrl/rd .ipi/<e/i'f- ^). ]o\\vv 

 H'lumc : ID, iippei' ;^lume : 11, lower \nl\('. J'lrcrjit Ji)/. 1, nil eiihin/fd. 



