PHANEROGAMS — PROFESSOR BAYLEY" BALFOUR. 323 



in hollows of the rhachis and there are two lower empty glumes, the lowest being 

 towards the rhachis. These characters sufficiently separate it from our plant. 

 Eelated on the one hand to that genus, Ischiums has an alliance on the other 

 hand with Lepturus, R. Br. (Prod. 207; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. iii. 1204), a 

 genus the distribution of which I have just referred to. But in it the flowers 

 are not so deeply embedded in the rhachis, the relative size and form of the 

 glumes is different, and the spikes are not so compact, and our plants do not 

 well fit in with its generic character. 



With several genera in the sub-tribe Rottboelliea? our genus has points of 

 resemblance, but its spikes and glumes prevents it going into that set. 



We have only one species of the genus. 



I. pulchellus, Balf. fil. loc. cit. Tab. XCVIII, B. 



Csespitosus densus. 



Culmi validi inferne depressi et baseis foliorum delapsorum dense vestiti superne in tenues rhaches 

 elongati plerumque semi-pedales rarius sesquipedales. Folia angusta linearia plerumque 

 brevia torulosa subtiliter pilosa sed in plantis majusculis ssepe f ped. longa et conspicue 

 pilosa omnia glauca; ligula oblonga obtusa parva. Bhachis sub spica striata compressa 

 erecta. Spica 1 poll, longa spatba brevi ventricosa primum inclusa. Ghima extima -j^ 

 poll, longa apice obscure brevissime ciliata 8-nervis, nervis per pares dispositis; gluma 

 florens ovata basi concava subventricosa. 

 Socotra. Near Galonsir. B.C.S. nn. 109, 301. 

 Distrib. Endemic. 

 This is a very pretty tufted grass with, as a rule, a dwarf habit, covering the 



sand of the plains and sending up stiff stalks, each topped by a tail-like spike. 



Our n. 301 shows a form of it more luxuriant than usual and with much longer 



leaves, and the spike rhachis showing a tendency to branch at the base. 



