PLATE 467. 



Andropogon ScHiMPKiu, Hochst. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII., p. 357). 



Nat. Order Granuuea\ 



Perennial (always ?) — Culms erect, sometimes geniculate, stout, up to 5 feet 

 long, glabrous, up to 7-noded ; sheaths quite glabrous or the uppermost more or less 

 hairy, those of the innovation shoots compressed, the others terete or slightly keeled 

 in the upper part, the lowest whitish, almost scarious ; ligules obtuse, scarious, up to 

 2 lines long ; blades linear, tapering to a long fine point, ^ to 1|- foot by 3 to 7 lines, 

 subrigid to almost flaccid, flat, glabrous, rarely scantily hirsute near the base, scabrid, 

 at least upwards, margins scabrid to subspinulous. 



Panicle large, oblong to ovate, lax, decompound up to 1^ foot long. Spathes 

 lanceolate, acuminate, narrow or broad, 1 to IJ inch long, scarious, reddish ; common 

 peduncles filiform, glabrous except the curved tips, which are beset with long, 

 yellowish tubercle -based hairs and enclosed in the spathe or shortly and usually 

 laterally exserted. Racemes |- to 1 inch long, dense, scarcely spreading, very shortly 

 and unequally peduncled ; joints 5 to many, filiform, obliquely truncate, up to 1 line 

 long, shortly whitish ciliate, pedicels very similar ; spikelets of the lost pair of the 

 sessile raceme alike, male, the sessile of all the other pairs perfect, the pedicelled male. 



Perfect spikelets linear-oblong, 2 to 2^ lines long ; pale. 



Glumes, lower subchartaceous to almost membranous, minutely truncate, dorsally 

 flattened, glabrous or more or less villous, intracarinal nerves 5, some at least 

 evanescent below, keels spinulous ciliate above, callous bearded ; upper membranous, 

 obtuse, 3 -nerved, nerves scabrid near the tip. Valves, lower oblong, obtuse, faintly 

 2-3-nerved, ciliate, upjjer shortly 2-fid, 1-nerved, lobes oblong, obtuse, subglabrous, 

 awn about 10 to 15 lines (rarely 2 to 2|- inches) long, pubescent and kneed below the 

 middle ; pale 0. Anthers 1 line long. 



Pedicelled spikelets lanceolate, usually pale, 2 J to 4 lines long, glabrous or hairy. 



Glumes, lower subherbaceous, acutely acuminate, 9 to 11 -nerved, often with a 

 terminal bristle (up to 2|- fines long), keels spinulous ciliate ; upper cuspidate, 

 3 -nerved, ciliate. Valves, lower linear-oblong, obtuse, equalling the glumes, 

 1-3-nerved ; upper riarrow, linear-cuneate, 1 to 3 lines long, 1-nerved. Anthers IJ 

 to 2 lines long. 



HabitRt ; Natal. "Without precise locality, Gerrard 691. 



" A rather variable plant, extending throughout East Africa to Abyssinia. 

 Gerrard's specimen represents a robust state, with hairy spikelets, like those of 

 Schimper's No. 897 (coll. 1853) and 1052 (coll. 1863-8), and with long-aristulate 

 male spikelets, as in Schimper's No. 1052 (coll. 1838)." 



Drawn from Gerrard's specimen, which was kindly loaned for the purpose by the 

 Director of Kew Gardens and Royal Herbarium. 



Sessile spikelet — Fig 1, Lower glume; 2, upper glume ; 3, lower valve ; 4, upper valve ; 

 5, pistil, stamens and lodicules. Pedicelled spikelet, Fig 6, lower glume ; 7, upper glume ; 8, 

 Jower valve ; 9, upper valye. All enlarged. 



