Festita, Linn. 



SpikeleTvS laterally compressed (at least after flowering) panicled, rhachilla dis- 

 articulating above the glumes and between the vah'es. Florets 2 to many, perfect (the 

 uppermost usually reduced), distinct!}' exserted from the glumes, (ilumes subequal, 

 rarely conspicuously unequal, subherbaceous or subscarious, more or less keeled, 1-3- 

 (rarely the upper 5) nerved. Valves lanceolate, muticous, mucronate or awned, her- 

 baceous, rounded on the back or keeled towards the tij), 5-7-nerved ; mucro or awn 

 from the tip or very close to it, straight ; callus small, glabrous or almost so. Pales 

 2-keeled, more or less 2-toothed. Lodicules 2, unequally 2-lobed or entire, hyaline. 

 Stamens 3. 0^'ary glabrous or the top minutely hairy ; styles distinct, very short, 

 terminal or subterminal ; stigmas plumose, laterally exserted. ( Jrain tightl}' enclosed 

 b}' the slightly hardened valve and pale, free or more or less adhering to the pale or to 

 both, oblong, dorsally convex, grooved or concave in front ; hilum linear, long ; 

 embryo small. Perennial, tufted ; sheaths open or more or less closed ; ligules 

 scarious ; blades flat, folded or convolute, often setaceous. Panicles more or less 

 compound, contracted or open, sometimes effuse. 



Numerous species, often A^eiy difficult to discriminate, in the temperate regions, 

 particularlv of the northern hemisphere, and a few in the high mountains of the tropics. 



PLATE 456. 



Fertuca costata, Xees. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VIL, p. 7'2l). 

 Xat. Order Graminoa'. 



Perennial, densely tufted ; innovation shoots intravaginal. 



CiTLMS erect, robust, up to 3 feet long, smooth, about 2-nodod, intcrnodes 

 exserted. 



Leaves glabrous ; basal sheaths crowded, the outer coriaceous, brown, at length 

 breaking up into fibres, persistent, upper somewhat lax, striate to sulcate, green, 

 smooth, uppermost more than ^ foot long, ligules ovate, obtuse, 1 J to 2 hues long ; 

 blades convolute in bud, then flat, or involute when dry, much narrower than the 

 sheath, linear, tapering to a very acute point, hirer up to more than 1 foot by 1^ to 3 

 lines, firm, smooth on both sides or scabrid above and along the margins, prominently 

 ribbed on the upper side, \\ith a continuous sclerench}inatous layer on the back. 



Panicle contracted or open, lax, angular, or ancipitous abov-e ; branches 2 or 

 3-nate, hirer very remote, filiform, flexuous, erect or spreading, angular, or ancipitous, 

 smooth or scabrid, lowest 4 to 6 inches long, usually undivided to the middle or 

 beyond, then loosely di^'ided ; branchlets contracted, fine : pedicels very unequal, 1 to 

 6 lines long, often very flexuous. 



SriKELETs erect or nodding, elliptic, G to 8 lines long, green, tinged with purple 

 or violet, very loosely 3 to 7 -flowered ; rhachilla very slender, johits up to 1 line long. 



Glumes subequal or hirer distinctly shorter, 2^ to 3 lines long, upper 3 to 4 

 lines long, both lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved, smooth, halves lanceolate in profile, 

 acute or minutely mucronate, 4 to 5|- lines long, rather firm, scaberulous, distinctly 

 5-nerved ; keels of pale scaberulous ; lodicules laiiccolate. over |- line long. Anthers 

 2 to 3 lines long ; top of ()^•ary ])ube8cent. 



Habitat : Natal, lliet A'lei, 4000 to .iOOO feet alt., Burhamw 234 ; Benvie, 

 Karkloof, 3000-4000 feet alt., ITorv/ 600,5 ; and without ])recise locality, Buchanan 53. 



Also in Nyassaland. •» 



Drawn from Buchanan's 234. 



Fig 1, A spikelet ; 2, lower glumo ; 3, upper gliime ; 4, valvo ; 5, pale ; 6, pistil an^ 

 lodicules ; 7, grain, front view ; 8, same, back view. All enlarged. 



