Eleusin'e, Gccrtu. 



SriKELETS 3-G-flowered, laterally compressed, densely imbricate, alternately 

 biseriate, unilateral, sessile on a flattened rhachis, the uppermost terminal, perfect ; 

 rhachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the valves, or tough, produced 

 sometimes terminating with a rudimentary valve. Florets perfect. 



Glujies 2, subequal, persistent, obtuse or obscurely mucronate, membranous, 

 strongly keeled, 3 to 5-nerved, the lateral nerves close to the keel, the louver shorter, 

 with the keel crested. A'alves very similar, 3 -nerved near the base ; lateral ner\es 

 subniarginal above, with 1-2 short additional nerves close to the keel. Pales slightl}- 

 shorter than the valves, 2-keeled, keels winged. Lodicules 2, minute, cuneate. 

 Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous ; styles slender from a broadened base, distinct ; stigmas 

 plumose, laterally exserted. Grain broadly-oblong to globose, broadly grooved ; 

 pericarp loose, delicate, breaking up irregularly or almost circumscissile ; seed finely 

 striate ; embryo suborbicular, basal ; hilum punctiform, basal. 



Annual or perennial ; leaves long, flat, or folded, flaccid or firm ; spikes in 

 interrupted spikes or the upper or all in a terminal umbel, straight, suberect, spreading 

 or deflexed ; spikelets glabrous. 



Species (5, in tropical Africa antl Asia ; 1 widely spread through the tropics. 



PLATE 439. 



Eleustne indica, Gairtn. (Fl. Cap., A'^ol. YII., p. G-io). 

 Nat. Order (iraniinese. 

 Annual. — Culms erect or geniculate -erect, from a few inches to 2 feet long, 

 slender or stout, compressed, 2-3-noded, glabrous, smooth, upper hiternodes exsei'ted. 



Leaves often numerous, crowded near the base and conspicuously distichous ; 

 sheaths compressed, pallid, glabrous except at the often ciliate margins, striate ; ligules 

 thin, membranous, short, long-fimbriate ; blades linear, long, tapering to an acute 

 point ^ to more than 1 foot by 1|- to 3 lines, flat or folded, sometimes flaccid, glabrous, 

 rarely sparingly hairy below, smooth. Spikes rather slender, straight, 1 to 7 inches 

 long, sessile, 2 to 14 in a terminal umbel, usually with 1-2 (rarely to 7) additional 

 spikes J to 3 inclies below it ; rhachis pubescent to A'illous at the base, otherwise 

 glabrous, smooth. 



Spikelets 1 J to 2 lines long, 3 to 6-flowered, disarticulating abo\e the glumes 

 and very tardily or tough between the valves. 



Glumes and valves ovate (lanceolate-oblong in profile) acute, the latter about 2 

 lines long. Anthers § line long. Grain oblong ; seed heart-shaped in cross section, 

 Jj line long, dark reddish brown, oblicj^ueh' striate ; embryo small. 



Eabitat : Natal. Durban Flat, Buchanan 14 ; 33 ; Berca, Wood o99G ; from 

 the-coast to [Impumulo in neglected gardens, BucJianan 181 ; without precise locality, 

 Gerrard 694; Cooper 3361.; Mooi River, IF. T. Woods. 



Drawn from specimens gathered near Durban. 



Tropics of the Old World ; introduced (?) in the New World. 



A very common grass almost all over the Colon}', frequently found near Cattle 

 Kraals, it has a strong root system, and is a imisance amongst crops if alloAved to attain 

 any size. The roots are said to be used in some countries medicinall}'. 



Native name u-Munyankomo. 



Fig 1,' A spikelet ; 2, lower glume ; 3, upper glume ; 4, valve \ 5, valve in profile ; 6, 

 pale ; 7 pistil, stamens and lodicules. All enlarged. 



