Pentaschistis, Staff. 



Spikelets from slightly over 1 line to 6 lines long, very rarely longer, laterally 

 compressed, pedicelled, panicled ; rhachilla disarticulating above the glumes and 

 between the vatves, continued as a usually very minute bristle beyond the upper 

 ■floret. Florets 2, hermaphrodite, much shorter than the glumes. Glumes equal or 

 subequal, lanceolate in profile, acuminate, keeled, hyaline or subhyaline, 1 -nerved 

 or closely 3-nerved at the very base. Valves membranous, hairy, with the hairs 

 seriate between the nerves, or glabrous excepting the always shortly hairy small 

 ■callus, finely or obscurely 5 to 9-nerved, 2-lobed, awned from the sinus ; lobes with 

 s, fine bristle from the inner angle, to which they are usually more or less adnate 

 or pass into sometimes very small, rarely 3 to 4-fid with all the divisions bristle- 

 like. Pales 2-keeled, 2-toothed, more or less equalling the valves (exclusive of the 

 lobes). Lodicules 2, small, cuneate, nerved, usually glabrous. . Stamens 3. Ovary 

 oblong, glabrous ; styles distinct, very slender ; stigmas plumose, laterally exserted- 

 Grain oblong, semiterete to subterete, shallowly grooved in front ; hilum obscure, 

 linear-oblong, |- to ^ the lengtkof the grain ; embryo about ^ the length of the grain. 



Perennial, rarely annual. Leaves very variable. Panicle usually distinctly 

 trichotomous with swollen and often bearded axils, open or contracted, sometimes 

 spike-like. Spikelets more or less glistening 



Species over 40, mainly in South, a few in tropical Africa, 1 in Madagascar, 

 and 1 in St. Paul's Island. 



PLATE 192. 



Pentaschistis natalensis, Stapf (Fl. Cap., Vol. VJI., p. 493). 



Nat. Order Graminese. 



Perennial. — Culms densely tufted or erect from short stolons, rather slender, 

 2 feet high, glabrous, smooth, 4 to 5-noded, sheathed all along ; sheaths tight, 

 striate, softly hairy or the upper glabrous ; mouth shortly bearded ; ligule a fringe 

 of hairs ; blades very long, filiform-convolute, loiver up to more than 1 foot long by 

 1|- liae wide at the base, glabrous or scantily hairy towards -the base, smooth, 

 margins scaberulous. 



Panicle open, very lax, up to 6 inches by 6 inches, somewhat flaccid ; branches 

 2-nate, smooth like the filiform axis and the subcapillary or capillary branchlets 

 and pedicels, glabrous, except the sparingly hairy callous axils, very laxly and 

 spreadingly di- and trichotomous from J to 1^ inch aboye the base, lowest over 3 

 inches long, ultimate divisions and pedicels rather short ; lateral pedicels about In- 

 line long. 



Spike-LETs very pallid, 3 to 3|- lines long. 



Glumes lanceolate in profile, finely acuminate, hyaline, glabrous, 1 -nerved, 

 keel minutely tubercled. Valves linear-oblong, body Ij line long, finely and 

 loosely hairy all over, finely /'-nerved ; lobes short, acute, adnate to or more or less 

 free from the fine bristle, 2 to 2j lines long at the inner side ; awn about 6 lines 

 long, kneed and twisted just below the middle ; callus short, acute, minutely 

 villous ; pales equalling the valves, 2-toothed, tips ciliolate ; anthers 1 line long ; 

 grain slightly over 1 line long. 



HaUtSit : Natal. Riet Vlei, 5000-6000 feet, Buclianan 283 ; Karkloof, 

 4000-5000 feet, April, Wylie ( Wood 6006). 



Fig 1, Glume ; 2, valve ; 3, pale with ovary and lodicules ; 4, pistil. All enlarged. 



