PLATE 418. 
Eragrostis ohalcantha, Trill. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII., p. 615). 
Nat. Order Graiiiineie. 
Perennial, densely casspitose. — Culms erect, straight, ^ to 1 foot long, 
glabrous, smooth, 1-iioded, uppermost internode occupying f or more of the culm 
and long exserted. 
Leaves crowded at the base, more or less beset with spreading often tubercle- 
based hairs, rarely quite ghibrous ; sheaths striate, tight, bearded at tlie mouth or 
not, lowest firm, persistent ; ligule a dense fringe of very short hairs ; blades 
linear, tapering to a fine often subcallous point, 1 to 4 inches by 1 to 2 lines, flat 
or more or less involute or convohite, particularly in the upper part, rigid, smooth 
or scaberulous on the upper side, obscurely striate above, conspicuously so below. 
Panic^le ovate to oblong, 1 to 3 inches long, more or less contracted ; axis 
smooth below, compressed and scabrid along the angles above ; branches solitary, 
spreading, 3 to 9 lines long, racemosely 6 to 2-spiculate or shorter and reduced to 
a sing'e spikelet, filiform, more or less angular, scabrid ; pedicels often puberulous, 
very short. 
Spikelets ovate-oblong to oblong, obtuse, somewhat turgid, 2J to 4 lines, by 
to If line, closely 7 to 15-flowered, olive-green to almost leaden-grey ; rliachilla 
jDersistent, smooth, joints very short. 
Glumes unequal, ovate, obtuse to subacute, upper longer, about f line long, 
keels scabrid. Valves broadly and obliquely ovate, obtuse to subacute, 1 line long, 
membranous, side-nerves more or less inconspicuous, keel scaberulous near the tip, 
pales f line long, keels spinulously scabrid. Anthers about ^ to -| line long. 
Grain subglobose to almost cubic, less than \ line long, brown, embryo very large. 
Eabitclt : Natal. Durban Bay, Krauss 295; Durban Flats, Bitc/tanaii -iG ; 
Umpumulo, common, i^/?(7/ay/rt;(! 256 ; Povelo Hills, S'ltJun'Iaiul ; De Beer's Pass, 
Wood 5995 ; near Maritzlnirg, Wnod 7230 ; Van Reenen's Pass, 5000 to 6000 feet 
alt., Wood 7223. 
Drawn from Wo(kI's 7223. The culms in this specimen are sometimes 
2-noded. 
Fii;' 1. Lower glume : 2, iqiper glume ; .3, valve : 4, |)ale : o, ])istil, stamens and lorlicules. 
All cnhirf/ed. 
