PLATE 468. 



Andropogon Buchanani, Stapf. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII., p. 362). 



Nat. Order Gramineas. 



Perennial ? — Culms erect, slender, over 2 feet long, glabrous, sheaths (of the 

 upper leaves, which alone are known) terete, strongly striate, glabrous ; ligules 

 membranous, up to 1 J hne long, glabrous ; blades linear, acute, up to 8 inches by 1 line, 

 flat, rather rigid, glabrous or hairy at the very base, smooth or scaberulous. Flowering 

 branches remote, up to 1 foot long, erect, strict, scantily branched from the axils of 

 perfect leaves ; spathes very narrow, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 2 to 2J inches long, 

 glabrous or very scantily hairy ; common peduncles filiform, quite enclosed in the 

 spathe, strict, finely puberulous, 4 to 5 lines long. Eacemes contiguous, slender, 6 to 

 12 lines long, peduncled ; peduncles connate below whence one raceme subsessile, 

 glabrous, up to 2 lines long ; joints 4 to 6, filiform, lover short, glabrous or sub- 

 glabrous, obliquely truncate, the upper like the pedicels, much finer and densely 

 whitish ciliate ; lowest 2 sessile spikelets (or lowest one in the subsessUe raceme) male, 

 similar to the barren pedicelled spikelets, all the other sessile spikelets perfect. 



Perfect spikelets, oblong-linear, 2 to 2 J lines long, callus acute, J *^ f ^^^^ lo"g) 

 beard dense, white. 



Glumes lower subchartaceous, truncate, densely hairy, particularly in the upper 

 part, hairs rigid, reddish, up to 1 line long, intracarinal nerves about 5-7, evanescent 

 below ; upper membranous, truncate, 3-nerved, reversely ciliate. Valves, lower linear- 

 ■ oblong, l^- to 1| line long, ciliate, faintly 2 -nerved, upper linear, shortly bifid, awn 

 about IJ inch long, bent above the middle, rufous-hairy below the bend, scabrid 

 above ; pale ; anthers 1 line long. 



Male sessile spikelets, linear-lanceolate, subacute, 3 lines long, rufous-hairy. 



Glumes, loiver subherbaceous, intracarinal nerves about 5, percurrent, keel3 

 ' spinulous ciliate above ; upper acute, 3-nerved, reversely ciliate. Valves, lower oblong, 

 obtuse, 2|- lines long, faintly 3-nerved, reversedly ciliate ; upper ovate-oblong, about 

 1^ line long, 1 -nerved, ciliate ; anthers 1 line long or smaller and barren ; barren 

 pedicelled spikelets similar to the male, but narrower and smaller ; upper valve minute 

 or ; anthers or rudimentary. 



Habitat : Natal. Umpumulo, 2000 to 2500 feet alt., Buchanan. 

 Drawn from a specimen kindly sent from Kew. Sutton's collector, 7. 



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

 5, pistil, stamens and lodicules. Pedicelled spihelet— Q, Lower glume ; 7, upper glume ; 8, 

 lower valve ; 9, upper valve ; 10, stamens. All ^nlar^ed. 



