PLATE 464. 



Olyra LATlFOLiA, Linu. (Fl. Cap., Vol. A"II., p. 746). 



Xat. Order Graminete. 



Perennial. — Culms erect, branched, 3 to 8 feet high, glabrou.s, ^-ery smooth, 

 rarely more or less hairy near the nodes, many-noded, sheathed all along' or the upper 

 internodes shortly exserted ; sheaths tight, firm, striate, keeled in the upper part, 

 glabrous except at the cihate upper margins, or hairy ; ligules very short, truncate, 

 broader than the short hairy petioles. Blades lanceolate-oblong or o\'ate-oblong, 

 asymmetric, particularly at the rounded base, conspicuously acuminate, 4 to 7 inches, 

 by 1 to 2f inches, flat, glaucous, glabrous except quite at the base, rarely sparingly 

 hairy, slightly rough Avith about 11 to 19 primary nerves and a prominent whitish 

 midrib. 



Panicle erect, terminal, or with a lateral one from the ujipermost leaf axil, 3 to 

 6 inches long, rather contracted or subpyramidal ; axis slender, angular, pubescent ; 

 branches solitar}' or sometimes fascicled, subflexuous or straight, angular, pubescent ; 

 pedicels adpressed, of the male spikelets filiform, of the female clavate. 



Male spikelets lateral, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, awned from the Aahe, 

 glabrous. 



Glumes quite rudimentary, forming an inconspicuous slightly 2-lobed puberulous 

 rim at the tip of the pedicels. A'alve herbaceous -membranous, gradualh" passing into 

 an awn of about equal length. If to 2 lines long, 3-nerved ; lodicules 3, cuneate, 

 thin. Anthers over 1 line long. 



Female spikelets solitary and terminal on the tips of the branches, or 2-3, rarely 

 more, below the terminal spikelet, oblong-ovoid, turgid, awned from the lower glume. 



Glumes ovate, elliptic, membranous, strongly nerved and veined, upper acuminate 

 or shortl}' caudate-acuminate, about 4 lines long, 5 to 7-nerved, hirer produced into 

 a flexuous scabrid awn of equal or greater length, 7 to 9-nerved. \'alve ovate-elliptic, 

 obtuse, 2 to 3 lines long, white or greyish, cartilaginous, very hard, shining ; styles 

 connate beyond the middle ; grain oblong. 



Habitat : Natai-. Ungoya Forest, Wood 3856 ; same locality, (lerrard and 

 AJcKeii 2014. 



Fig 1, Portion of panicle, showing male and female spikelets ; Female Spikelet — 2, lower 

 glume ; 3, upper glume ; 4, valve ; 5, pale ; 6, pistil and lodicules ; Male Spikelet— 1, valve; 

 8, pale ; 9, stamens and lodicules ; 10, portion of sheath, showing ligule and petiole. All 

 eiilarycd, * 



