PLATE 466. 



Andropogon pertusus, Willd. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII., p. 345). 



Nat. Order Graminese. 



Perennial. — Culms erect or ascending from the branched often prostrate 

 base, simple above, 1 to 2j feet long, glabrous, 5-6-noded ; sheaths rather terete, 

 except the compressed lower ones, usually bearded at the nodes ; ligules truncate, 

 up to ^ line long, often with hairs from behind. Blades linear, tapering to a fine 

 point, 2 to 6 inches by 1 to 2 lines, flat, glabrous or more or less hairy, scabrid. 

 Racemes digitate, rarely more distant on a common rhachis not longer than the 

 lowest raceme, about 2 inches long ; peduncles usually glabrous except their bearded 

 axils, short, joints and pedicels equalling half the spikelet or slightly longer, cillate, 

 upper cilia as long as the joint. 



Sessile spikelets about 2 lines long, lanceolate-oblong, pale, callus bearded. 



Glumes, lower subchartaceous, minutely truncate, villous near the base, 

 faintly 5 to 9-nerved, pitted on the back, keels spinulously ciliate above ; ujjjfer 

 acute, sparsely ciliate or glabrous, 3-nerved. Valves, lower oblong, obtuse ; iipper 

 almost reduced to a kneed awn, 6 to 10 lines long. 



Pedicelled spikelets usually male, not or shallowly pitted, purjjllsh, 



Var. capensis, Hack. — Culms up to 4 feet long; blades 4 to 12 inches, by 2 

 to 3^ lines ; racemes few to 20 ; lower glume of sessile spikelets rather firm, 

 glabrous or very scantily hairy, pale, shining, 2 to 2|- lines long ; pedicelled 

 spikelets usually 2-3-pitted. 



Habitat : Natal. Without precise locality, Gerrard 692 ; var. capensis, 

 foot of Table Mountain, near Maritzburg, Krauss 29 ; Umpumulo, Buchanan ISO, 

 295, partly ; without precise locality, Buchanan 201 ; near Maritzburg, T. J. St. 

 George 6 {Wood 7246). 



Drawn from the specimen collected by St. George. 



Fig 1, Portion of raceme, showing sessile and pedicelled spikelets. Sessile spikelet — Fig 2, 

 lower glume; 3, upper glume ; 4, lower valve ; .5, upper valve; 6, pistil, stamens and lodicules. 

 Pedicelled spikelet — 7, lower glume ; 8, upper glume ; 9, valve and stamens. All enlarged. 



