PLATE 128. 



Andropogon dregeanus (Nees, Fl. Afr. Austi>112). 



Perennial, compactly tufted. — Culms erect, rather slender, 3-4 feet long, 

 glabroxis, shining, about 5-noded belovr the panitde. Sheaths of innovation shoots 

 compressed, fugaciously tomentose at the base,, sheaths of the culms terete, quite 

 glabrous or the upper scantily hairy, smooth ; ligules obtuse, up to 2|- lines long, 

 hairy behind. Blades linear from a narrow base, tapering to a fine point, up to 

 1 foot long, by 2-3 lines broad, erect, rather rigid, flat, glabrous or the uppermost 

 scantily hairy, sub-glaucous, turning reddish, scabrid, margins spinulous. 



Panicle narrow, 1-1^ foot long, remotely branched, contracted. Spathes 

 narrow, lanceolate, acute, about 1^ inch long, scarious, reddish. Common peduncles 

 finely filiform, long exserted, glabrous except the strongly curved or curled tips, 

 which are densely beset with long spreading, yellowish tubercle-based hairs. 

 Racemes ^-1 inch long, lax, scai^cely spreading; joints 5-10, filiform, obliquely 

 truncate, up to 1 J line long, shortly ciliate ; pedicels very similar. Spikelets of 

 the lowest pair of the sessile raceme alike, male, the sessile of all the other pairs 

 perfect, the pedicelled male, or sometimes with stamens and an apparently perfect 

 pistil. Sessile perfect spikelets linear-oblong, 2 lines long, purplish, pale below. 

 Glumes, lower sub-chartaceous above, membranous near the base, minutely trun- 

 cate, dorsally flattened, glabrous or ininutely and scantily pubescent or villous, 

 intracarinal nerves about 5, evanescent below the tip ; keels rigidly ciliate above, 

 callus shortly bearded ; upper membranous, 3-nerved, nerves scabrid above. 

 Valves, lower oblong, obtuse, faintly 2-nerved, ciliate ; upper shortly bifid, 1 -nerved, 

 lobes oblong, obtuse, ciliate. Awn about 6-8 lines long, very slender, pubescent 

 and kneed below the middle. Pale ovate, obtuse, ^ line long. Anthers f line 

 long. Pedicelled spikelets oblong-linear, 2^ lines long, dull purplish, glabrous or 

 hairy. Glumes, lotver sub-herbaceous, acute, 9-11-nerved; upper very acute, 

 3-nerved, long ciliate. Valves, lower linear-oblong, obtuse, equalling the glumes, 

 3-nerved ; upper \-^ shorter, spathulate-liliear from an extremely fine base, sub- 

 1 -nerved. Anthers more than 1 line long. 



KsibitSit '. — Natal. Between Umtata and St. John's, Drege ; between Um- 

 zimkulu and Umkomaas Rivers, Drege; near Estcourt, Relimann 7310 ; Karkloof, 

 WyliefWood 6010). 



Figured from Wood's 6010. 



Fig. 1, Plant about natural size ; 2, ligule. Sessile spikelet — 3, upper ^-alve ; 4, pale. 

 Pedicelled spikelet- — 5, lower valve ; 6, upper valve. Except Jig. 1, all enlarged. 



