246 XXVIII, GRAMINEE. [Eragrostis 
much larger plant with broader leaves, longer and stronger panicle 
with pubescent rhachis, etc. 
Hvitta.—Somewhat plentiful in abandoned fields after Sorghum 
cultivation near Eme, and at Ivantala ; May 1860. No. 7489. 
25. E. habrantha Rendle sp. nov. 
Apparently annual, cespitose ; culms unbranched, erect, with a, 
distichous tuft of basal leaves, internodes except the flowering 
reduced, sheaths chartaceous, the outer subcompressed, stiff,, 
polished, hairy at the mouth, persistent, the upper becoming 
narrower and cylindrical; ligule a very short dense row of 
hairs ; blade suberect to ascending, jointed to the sheath, stiff, 
narrow-linear and convolute, tapering to the setaceous apex, 
obscurely striate, glabrous; panicle narrowly oblong, purple, 
nodes bearing a tuft of white hairs, branches solitary or in 
fascicles (often in opposite pairs) at the nodes, filiform, ascending, 
bearing from the base upward capillary branchlets, which may 
again branch, spikelets long-stalked, minute, obovate, compressed, 
2- sometimes 3-flowered ; barren glumes subequal, reaching almost 
to the top of the flowering glumes, elliptical, blunt, 1-nerved, vein 
sparsely scabridulous below the apex only, purplish with pale apex 
and margin; flowering glume broadly elliptical, with rounded 
apex, l-nerved, with marginal nerves very imperfect or obsolete, 
ecarinate, glabrous, purplish and green ; pale equal, truncate, keels 
well marked, scabridulous only in upper third ; anthers purple. 
Plants less than 2 ft. high; leaf-bearing stem less than 1 in. 
long; sheaths 14 to 7 in. long enveloping the flowering internode 
almost to the base of the panicle; leaves reaching 1 ft. in length, 
3 to scarcely 1 line broad in their natural convolute state. In- 
florescence 1 ft. long by 1} in. broad, lowest branches reaching 
4 in. long, forming an elegant capillary panicle; spikelets 4 to $ 
line long, on pedicels 3 to many times their length ; barren glumes. 
2 to 2 line long, the lower sometimes slightly the smaller ; fertile 
lumes 4 line or a little more ; anthers } to } line. 
Recalls #. biflora Hack, (Transvaal) in its minute few-flowered 
spikelets, but is a statelier plant distinguished at once by its long 
rigidulous leaves and erect narrowly oblong purple nebulous panicle, 
and still smaller spikelets. 
Huitta.—In thicket-grown fields, no longer cultivated, near Lopollo ; 
April 1860. No. 7493. 
26. E, Frederici Rendle sp. nov. 
Perennial (?), czspitose, culms subrobust, erect, unbranched, 
densely sheathed at the base, cauline internodes 4 (the lowest 
short), terete, glabrous, internodes glabrous, purplish; sheaths 
loose, pilose at the mouth, shorter than the 3 upper internodes ; 
ligule a short line of hairs; blades ascending to erect, rigidulous, 
convolute, tapering from a broader base to a setaceous apex, 
sparsely scabridulous-pilose; panicle oblong, subeffuse, rhachis 
and branches scabridulous-pilose, the latter alternate, slender, 
bearing filiform branchlets from the base upwards ; pedicels shorter: 
