PLATE 131. 



Andropogon filipendulus (Hochst. in Flora, 1846, 115). 



Perennial (always ?). — Culms erect, slender, 2-10 feet long, glabrous, more (jr 

 less branched ; branches erect, intravaginal, leafy. Sheaths terete, sub-carinate 

 above, tight or ultimately slipping from the culm, glabrous or the lower sparingly 

 hairy. Ligules membranous, truncate, about 1 line long. Blades linear, tapering 

 to an acute, often very fine point, 1-2 feet long, by f-3 lines broad, flat or subconvo- 

 lute, glabrous, rarely sparingly hairy, smooth or scaberulous, margins rough. 



Panicle narrow, J- 1|- foot long, contracted; branches erect, strict, filiform, 

 from lanceolate to linear, long and setaceously acuminate sheaths. Spathes very 

 narrow, linear, 2 inches long, glabrous or finely hairy along the margins. Common 

 peduncles capillary, enclosed in the spathes except the flexuous or pendulous or 

 finely strict upper part, which is pubescent and very long but very scantily bearded. 

 Racemes subcontiguous, slender, unequally ped uncled (thelonger peduncle 2-5 lines 

 long, glabrous or hairy), 5-6 lines long ; joints filiform, up to f line long, glabrous 

 or sub-glabrous, pedicels somewhat longer, the upper ciliate. Sessile spiheiets, 2 in 

 the lower, 3 in the upper raceme, in both only the upper perfect, the others male 

 like the pedicelled spikelets. Perfect SpikeleU oblong-linear, 2-2|- lines long, pale, 

 tips reddish ; callus fine, acute, up to 1 line long, densely bearded. Glumes, loiver 

 sub-chartaceous, truncate, glabrous or more or less hairy, intracarinal nerves about 

 5, prominent all along, or only upwards, not pitted ; dipper membranous, truncate, 

 3-nerved, glabrous. V^alves, lower linear-oblong, 1|- line long, nerveless or almost 

 so, reversely ciliate ; upper very finely cuneate-linear, obscurely 2-toothed, passing 

 into a stout awn 1^-2|- inches long, rufus hispidulous below. Pale 0. Anthers 

 IJ.line long. Male spikelets lanceolate to linear, sub-acuminate, 2|-3|- lines long, 

 dull purplish, glabrous. Glumes, loiver 9- 11 -nerved, muticous in the lower, 

 aristulate in the upper pairs ; upper acute, 3-nerved, reversely ciliate. Valves 

 oblong, obtuse ; lo^ver 1-nerved ; upper nerveless, up to 1|- line long. 



Eabitat : — Natal. Throughout the Colony, Krauss 28 ; near Durban Bay, 

 Krauss 164, partly ; Umpumulo Common, Buchanan 223 ; Zululand, JenTcinson 

 70 (Wood 7342) ; 31 ; Berea, Wood 5933. 



Figured from Jenkinson's 70. 



In Wood's 5933, and Jenkinson's 70, the number of perfect spikelets is not 

 constant ; in the upper glume of the sessile spikelet the margins are hyaline and 

 reversely ciliate, and the upper valve is ciliate and 3-nerved. In the pedicelled 

 spikelets the upper valve is not always present, or when present is very small. 



Mr. Jenkinson says of his No. 31: "Very common on any well drained 

 ground, liked by cattle ; even in winter ; used by natives for thatching. Native 

 name ' Sibuzana.' " 



Found" also in tropical Africa and Ceylon, and in a somewhat difterent form in 

 Australia (A. lachnantherus Bth). 



Fig. 1, Plant about natural size ; 2, ligule ; 3, 2-nate racemes. Sessile spikelet— 4:, lower 

 glume, front view ; 5, upper glume, side view ; 6, lower valve ; 7, stigmas, stamens and lodi- 

 cules ; 8, upper valve with lower portion of awn. Pedicelled spikelet— 9, muticous lower glume ; 

 10, upper glume ; 11, lower valve. Except Jig, 1, all enlarged. 



