PLATE 191. 



AvENASTRUM CAFFRUM, Stapf. Var (?) natalensis, Stapf. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII, 



p. 477). 



Nat. Order Graminese. 



Culms 2 feet long, glabrous, 3 to 4-noded, sheathed to the base of the panicle. 



Leaves 4 to 6 near the base, 3 higher up ; sheaths tight below, loose or open 

 above, glabrous ; ligule oblong, up to f line long ; blades very narrow, subsetaceous, 

 convolute, the lower 5 to 7 inches long, those of the barren shoots to i foot long, 

 glabrous, closely and strongly few-nerved, margins rough. 



Panicle contracted, about 6 inches long, slightly nodding and subflaccid ; 

 rhachis filiform ; branches fascicled, very unequal, the longest up to 2 inches long, 

 sparingly branched or simple, finely filiform, flexuous, erect, scaberulous to finely 

 hispidulous. 



Spikelets 4 to 4|- lines long, loosely 3 to sub-4-flowered ; rhachilla joints very 

 slender, up to I line long, with long white hairs. 



Glumes very thin, lanceolate, acuminate, often aristulate, the lower 2 to 2|- 

 lines, the upper 2J to 3J lines long. Valves exserted, linear-lanceolate, the lowest 

 3 to 4 lines long, glabrous, pallid, rather thin, smooth, faintly nerved, tips scarious, 

 sub-bifid, produced into short, fine bristles ; callus \ line long, bearded ; awn from 

 above the middle, fine, pallid, column 2^ to 2 lines long, bristle 5 lines long. Pales 

 3 lines long ; keels minutely ciliolate. Anthers up to ^ line long ; ovary top 

 hispidulous. 



Var (?) NATALENSIS, Stapf — Internodes exserted, very minutely puberulous 

 below the nodes. Leaves up to 2 lines broad, flat or involute, subflaccid, more or 

 less hairy above. Spikelets rather smaller than in the typical form. 



Habitat: Natal. Far. natalensis, Riet Vlei, 4000 to 5000 feet alt., 

 Buchana7i 238. 



Drawn from Buchanan's 238, the only specimen in the Herbarium. 



Fig 1, Spikelet, glumes removed ; 2, lower glume ; 3, upper ghime ; 4, valve \^o, pale ; 

 6, pistil, stamens and lodiciiles. All enlarged. 



