PLATE 428. 



Eragrostis oiLlARis Link. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VIL, p. G29). 



Nat. Order Gramiiiea3. 



Annual or subperennial (?) tufted. — Culms geniculate, ascending, often 

 from a procumbent base, slender, J to 2 feet long, glabrous, smooth, simple or 

 branched below, about 3-noded, internodes exserted ; sheaths striate, tight, 

 glabrous or scantily hairy, bearded with long hairs at the mouth ; ligule a fringe 

 of short hairs. Blades linear, tapering to a fine point, 3 to 6 inches by 1 to 2 lines, 

 usually involute, somewhat stiff and spreading, glabrous, or with scattered fine 

 long hairs, scaberulous. 



Panicle spike-like, more or less lobed or interrupted, dense to very dense, 2 to 

 6 inches long ; axis scabrid ; branches adpressed, usually all veiy short or the 

 lowest up to 1 inch long, divided from tlie base, pedicels very short. 



Spikelets crowded, ovate, strongly compressed, 1 to almost 2 lines long, 

 loosely 6 to 12-flowered, pallid, sometimes purplish ; rhachilla breaking uj) 



Glumes oblong-lanceolate, acute, | to almost J line long, 1 -nerved, keel 

 scabrid. Valves oblong in profile, subtruncate and mucronulate, spreading, about 

 ^ line long, thin, side-nerves prominent, keel scabrid. Pales equal to the valves 

 and falling with them, keels of pale very long and rigidly ciliate. Anthers 5 to ^ 

 line long. Grain elongate-ovoid, j line long, brown. 



E&bitRt : Natal. Common near the coast, Buchanan 160 ; margins of woods 

 near the Umlazi River, Krauss 349 ; near Durban, McKen 124 ; Durban Flats, 

 Buchanan 38 ; Berea, Wood 592G ; between Umzimkulu and Umkomanzi Rivers, 

 Drege 4270 ; and without precise locality, Ueriard GDI ; Zululand, 2000 feet alt., 

 Jenkinnon G7, January. 



Drawn from Wood's 5926, but not more than 2 stamens were found in all the 

 florets examined The keel of the valve is ciliate at base in our specimens. 



" Common throughout tropical Africa and America, and in North India." 



Fig 1, Lower glume ; 2, upper glume; 3, valve ; 3a, valve iu profile ; 4, pale ; 5, pistil, 

 stamens aud lodicules. All enlarged. 



