AVENASTRUM, JeSS. 



Spikelets usually erect or suberect, rarely nodding, medium-sized (4 to 7 lines- 

 long, rarely less or more), in nearly always erect, often stiff panicles ; rhachilla 

 more or less long-hairy, disarticulating above the glumes and between the valves, 

 produced into a short bristle beyond the uppermost floret or ending with a rudi- 

 mentary valve. Florets 3 to 6, perfect, or the uppermost more or less reduced. 

 Glumes 2, persistent, scarious, more or less unequal, acute or acuminate, more or 

 less distinctly keeled, lower I or 3-nerved, tqoper 3 (very rarely 5 to sub-7) nerved. 

 Valves usually distinctly exserted from the glumes, more or less -herbaceous with 

 scarious or hyaline tips, often rather firm, acute or acuminate, bifid, with or without 

 bristles from the lobes, 5 to 9-nerved, awned ; awn dorsal from the middle or 

 slightly above it, kneed and twisted below ; callus short or elongate, villous. 

 Pales shorter than the valves, 2-keeled, 2-toothed or bifid. Lodicules 2, rather 

 large, hyaline. Stamens 3. Ovary hairy from the middle upwards or at the top 

 only ; styles distinct, short ; stigmas laterally exserted, plumose. Grain oblong,, 

 slightly laterally compressed, usually grooved in front, hairy at the top, pallid,, 

 rather soft, embraced by the somewhat hardened valve and the pale ; hilum linear,, 

 up to half the length of the grain ; embryo small. 



Perennials, caispitose ; blades linear, usually narrow, flat or convolute, often 

 setaceous ; ligules hyaline. Panicle narrow, erect, often stiff, rare'y flaccid or 

 expanded. 



PLATE 190. 



Avenastrum turgidulum, Stapf (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII., p 474). 

 Nat. Order Graminese. 



Culms 1 to 2J feet long, glabrous, 2 to 3-noded, upper 2-3 internodes more 

 or less exserted, uppermost finally long exserted. 



Leaves usually very few near the base, about 3 higher up ; sheaths terete, 

 rather tight, very minutely puberulous or glabrous ; ligule truncate, up to f line 

 long ; blades linear, tapering to an acute point, up to 6 inches, by 1|- line, flat or 

 involute, subflaccid or more or less rigid, subglaucous, glabrous, rarely scantily 

 hairy, scaberulous above. 



Panicle contracted, erect or slightly nodding, J to 1 foot, long ; branches 

 fascicled, very unequal, the longer up to 1|- inch long, scantily_^ branched or simple, 

 erect or a few spreading, filiform, scabrid. 



Spikelets 4 to 5^ lines long, greenish, compactly 3-4-flowered ; rhachilla 

 slender, joints up to 1 line long, bearded near the tips. 



Glumes lanceolate, acuminate, the loiver 2^ to 3 lines, the upper 4 to 4|- lines 

 long. Valves exserted, oblong-lanceolate, the lowest d^ to 4 lines long, glabrous, 

 light green, slightly purplish below the tips; obscurely granulated, tips scarious, 

 2-toothed, teeth produced into fine bristles 1 to 1^ line long ; callus bearded, 

 very short ; awn from the middle, rather fine, column 2\ to 3 lines long, 

 bristle 5 to 6 lines long Pales 3 lines long, keels ciliate ; anthers |-to 1 line long ; 

 ovary pubescent from the middle, top hispidulous Grain 1^ line long. 



Hdbiiat : Natal. (Jmsinga and foot of Biggarsberg, Buchanan 100 ; near 

 Greytown, Buchanan 172 ; Riet Vlei, Buchanan 156 ; near Maritzburg, St. 

 George 14 {Wood 722?,). 



Drawn from Buchanan's 156. 



Fig 1, Spikelet, glume remoTed ; 2, lower glume ; 3, upper glume : 4, valve ; 5, pale ; 

 6, pistil, stamens and lodicules. All enlarged. 



