PLATE 413. 
Eragrostis curvula, Nees, var. valida, Stapf. (Fl. Cap., Vol. YIL, p. 590). 
Nat. Order GraniineaB. 
Perennial, very densely tufted, witli niinierons closely packed iiuiovaticm shr»ots. 
Culms erect or geniculate, usually slendei', simple, 1 to 2 feet high, glabrous, 
smooth, 2 to 3 noded, internodes usually exserted, uppermost very long; A^/rt^r sheaths 
crowded, short, firm, strongly striate, tomentose at the base, gradually less hairy 
to glaljrous upwards, persistent, upper tiglit, glabrous or rarely hairy, smooth ; 
ligule a fringe of short hairs. Blades narrow, linear, long tapering and usually 
capillary in the up})er part, 3 inches to more than 1 foot long, 1 to \^ line wide at 
the base when expanded, more or less tilif:)rm-involute or convolute, at least in the 
upper })art, tiexuous, somewhat tirm, glabrous, very rarely hairy, scabrid on the 
upper side and all over towards the tips, otherwise smooth. 
Panicle open or contracted, erect or more or less nodding, 3 to 10 inches long ; 
axis filiform, more or less angular, smooth, at least below ; branches solitary, unec|ually 
distant or partly subverticillate, first erect then more or less spreading, finely filiform, 
flexuons, smooth or almost so, glabrous or sometimes with a few fine hairs at the 
axils, lower divided from 3 to G lines above the i)ase ; branchlets rather loose, usually 
contracted, simple or the lowest again divided, smooth, rarely the ultimate divisions 
scaberulous ; pedicels une<|ual, lateral usu:dly short rarely up to 2 lines long. 
Spikelets linear-ol)long to oblong, 2 to 3 lines by 1 line, loosely 3 to (3- 
(rarely to 8-) fiowered, usually dark olive-grey ; rhachilla sul)persistent, then 
disarticulating, more or less very minutely hairy. 
Glumes more or less unequal, lanceolate to oblong, acute to subol)tuse, thinly 
membranous to almost hyaline, 1 -nerved or sometimes nerveless, keel if present 
scaberulous, vpjjer up to 1 line long, Jowe)- slightly shorter. Valves lanceolate- 
oblong in profile, obtuse or sulxibtuse, 1 line long or slightly longer, membranous, 
scaberulous above the middle, tips usually hyaline and wliite, side-nerves fine. Pales 
equal to the valves, obtuse, keels fine, smooth or scaberulous above. Anthers f to ^ line 
long. Grain sub-ellipsoid, obtusely quadrangular, |- line long, brown, embryo large. 
Var. C'ONFERTA, Nees. — On the whole taller and more I'obust ; })anicle con- 
tracted, dense, w-itli the l^ranclies more or less verticillate and divided from the base, 
divisions more often scabrid than in tlie tyi>e. Spikelets usually crowded, linear 
to linear-ol:)long, up to 5 lines long, and to f3-flowered, light C)live-green to 
dark olive-grey. 
Var. valida, Stapf — Culms usually robust, tall, 3 to 4-noded ; sheatlis 
glabrous and smooth or more or less hairy from often tubercle-based hairs ; blades 
up to more than 2 feet, by 2 to 3 lines. Panicle ^ to 1 foot, contracted or open ; 
axis smooth or scabrid ; branches 3 to G inclies long, flexuons, much divided from 
the base or simple for as much as 1 inch. Spikelets linear to linear-oblong, Sg- to 5|- 
lines long, 7 to i3-flowered. Glumes and valves very slightly larger than in the type. 
HclbitRt : Natal. Umsinga and base of Biggarsberg, BiicJiaitari. 93 ; ror. 
conferfa, near Durban, Plant 57 ; Gei vard and McKen 35 (approaching the type) ; 
Umpumulo, 2000 feet alt., Buchanan 248, 249a ; very common at Riet Vlei, 4000 
feet alt., BucJianxm 78, 249 ; (rervard 675 (approaching the type) ; car. valida, 
Berea, Wood 5940 ; Umhlanga, 6060 ; Van lleenen's Pass, 7224 ; Pietermaritz- 
burg, 7229. 
A generally useful grass ; native name Qviti (Jenkinson). 
Fio- 1, Lower glume; 2, upper gliuiie ; 3, valve ; 4, pale ; 5, pistil, stameus and lodicules^ 
All rulii rj/rd . 
