PLATE 123. 



Andropogon I'l.URiNODis (Stapf. Fl. (";tp. vii. 353). 



Perennial, compactly tufted ; innovation shoots intra vaginal. 



Culms slender, erect, 1-3 feet long, glabrous, smooth, simple below, 4-6 

 (rarely 3) noded, longest internode 6-10 inches long, rarely longer. Sheaths tight, 

 shorter than the internodes except the lowermost, which are fugaciously hairy to 

 tomentose at the very base, 1|- 3 inches long, finn and persistent, the upper usually 

 much shorter ; ligules firm, very short, up to 1 line long, rounded. Blades very 

 narrow, linear, filiform or setaceous in the upper part, 4-8 inches long, by 1-1^ line 

 broad, flat or partly folded, ratlier rigid below, flexuotis above, glabrous, glaucous, 

 margins scabrid. 



Panicles narrow, rather lax, usually scantily branched, 3-6 inches long. 

 Racemes j-1 inch long at length horizontally spreading or deflexed on slender 

 peduncles, which are 3-5 lines long and subtended by lanceolate, acuminate, many 

 nerved, scarious, reddish spathes, f-l^- inch long ; joints and pedicels linear, 

 slender, 1-1|- line long, densely hairy along the margins, tips cupular, irregularly 

 toothed. 



Spikelets of the lowest j)air of the sessile raceme alike, male, of the sessile 

 of all the other pairs perfect, the pedicelled male. Perfect s2)iJieIrfs very narrow, 

 lanceolate, acute, 3 lines long. Glumes, lovei- chartaceous, acute, or 2-tootlied, 

 more or less concave between the keels A\'hicli ai'e rounded and smooth near the 

 base, obscurely winged and scabrid towards the reddish or purplish tips, intra- 

 carinal nerves 2-5, the middle one or all evanescent below ; iippc)- sub-chartaceous, 

 lanceolate, acute, 1 -nerved, glabrous (ciliate in our specimen). Valves hyaline ; 

 loii'cr linear, 2-2.^~ lines long, ciliate ; Uj>i)er slightly shorter, linear-oblong to linear, 

 deeply bifid, lobes lanceolate to subulate. Awn slender, 5-8 lines Lmg, kneed at 

 or below the middle. Pale 0. Anthers 1|- line long. Pedicelled spikelefs dorsally 

 compressedj lanceolate, acuminate,. 3-3^ lines long, purjjlish. Glumes, Imrer many 

 nerved, keels scabrid ; iipijer ;)-5-nerved, with or without a median keel. Valves, 

 hnrer linear-lanceolate, 2|- lines long, 2-nerved, ciliate ; upper 0. Pale 0. 



Hdbitcit : Natal. On Tugela_B,iver near Colenso, Reliiiuuni 715S ; Biggars- 

 berg, Rehhiaiiii. 7112 ;. Mooi Itiver, April, Wood 4318. 



Figured froin Wood's 4318. 



This plant was formerly known as, or confused with A. inar<i'niatiis, l)ut has 

 l^een separated as above, hj Dr. Stapf, in Flora Capensis. 



Fis;'. 1, Plant about natural size. Scssllr pcvfcvt sji-hclets -2. lower glnme, ])ack ^ lew ; 

 2a, same, front view ; 3, upper glume ; 4, lower valve ; o, upper valve ; 6, pistil, stameu;5 and 

 lodicules. Peilicelled spikrief — 7, lower g'lume, front view; 8, upper ghnne ; 9, I'lwer valve: 

 10, spathe witli 2-nate racemes. Except fig. 1, nil enlarrjeit. 



