PLATE 127. 



Andropogon rufus (Kunth. Enum. i. 492). 



Perennial. — Culms erect, stout, 3-8 feet long, glabrous, 5-7-noded below the 

 ^jaiiicle. Sheaths quite glabrous (in the South African species), or hairy along the 

 upper margins, terete, shorter than the internodes (except the lowest) ; ligules 

 rounded, 1-2^ lines long, sometimes with hairs from behind. Blades linear from a 

 narrow base, long tapering to a fine point, 1-2|- feet long, by 2-6 lines broad, flat, 

 rigid, erect, glabrous, more or less scabrid, margins very rough, midrib stout, 

 white above. 



Panicle usually large and much branched, lax, oblong, contracted or rather 

 open, 1-1|-, sometimes to 2 feet long. Spathes very narrow, linear-lanceolate to 

 linear, finely acuminate, lJ-2 inches long, glabrous, scarious, reddish, erect or 

 spreading. Common peduncles finely filiform, pubescent, sometimes with spread- 

 ing yellowish tubercle-based hairs towards the tips, flexuous or pendulous, more 

 or less (often long) exserted. Racemes slender, ^-1 inch long, not spreading, 

 often drooping; joints 6-10, filiform, obliquely truncate, up to 1' line long, shortly 

 and densely ciliate, lower hairs white, upper reddish ; pedicels very similar. 

 Sessile spikelets all perfect, or sometimes the lowest of the sessile raceme like the 

 pedicelled, male, or the latter sometimes barren. Perfect spikelets linear-oblong, 

 2-2^ lines long, yellowish or reddish. Glumes, lower sub-chartaceous, minutely 

 truncate, dorsally flattened, glabi-ous or pubescent, with short rather rigid fulvous 

 or ferruginous hairs, or sub-villous, intracarinal nerves about 5, evanescent below, 

 callus shortly bearded, keels rigidly ciliate above ; upper membranous, obtuse, 

 3-nerved. Valves, lower oblong, obtuse, ciliate, faintly 2-nerved ; upper shortly 

 bifid, 1 -nerved, lobes oblong, ciliate. Awn f-1 inch long, bent at the middle, 

 jjubescent belo-s\^ the bend, minutely scaberulous above. Anthers 1 line long. 

 Pedicelled spikelets lanceolate-linear, 2|-2|- lines long, reddish or purplish, glabrous 

 or pubescent to villous. Glumes, lower sub-herbaceous, acute, 7-nerved, keels 

 rigidly ciliolate ; upper acute, 3-nerved, ciliate. Valves, lower oblong, subacute, 

 Ij line long, l-sub-3-nerved ; upper narrow, linear, 1-nerved, cihate, or both valves 

 more or less reduced, or the upper quite suppressed. 



Habitat : — Zululand. Moist places. near Inyei^San River, Wood 3927. 

 Figured from -Wood's specimen, the only one in the Government Herbarium, 

 and no other one appears to have been sent Home from South Africa. 



In our specimen the pedicelled spikelets contain the two glumes and a rudi- 

 mentary lower valve, the upper valve being suppressed. This species is found 

 also in Tropical Africa, the Mascarene Isles, and in Brazil. 



Fig. 1, Culm with leaf and panicle, about natural size. Sessile s2nhelet—2, lower glume, 

 back view ; 3, upper glume, front view ; 4, lower valve, front view ; 5, upper valve with awn ; 

 6, pistil, stamens and lodicules. Pedicelled sjnkelet — 7, lower glume ; 8, upper ghime ; 9, lower 

 valve. Except Jig. 1, all enlarged. 



