PLATE 462. 
Brachypodium flexum, Nees. (Fl. Cap., Vol. VII. , p. 736). 
Nat. Order Gramineae. 
Perennial. — -Culms often abundantly branched below, ascending from a geni- 
culate (often decumbent and rooting) base, very slender, 1^ to more than 2 feet 
long, glabrous or scantily hairy just below the nodes, smooth, 5 to 7-noded, interme- 
diate and upper internodes exserted, uppermost the longest ; sheaths tight, striate, 
spreadingly hairy along the margins, otherwise very s])ariiigly hairy or glabrous, 
excepting a finely tomentose line at the junction with the blade and the densely 
tomentose or villous (rarely finely pubescent) nodes, lowest sheaths finally thrown 
aside ; ligules extremely short, up to ^ line long, truncate, brownish. Blades 
linear, long tapering to a very fine point, 2 to 5 inches, by 1^ to 3 lines, flat, 
glaucous, subrigid to almost flaccid, spreadingly hairy on the upper side, less so or 
glabrous and scabrid or scaberulous on the lower side ; false spike erect or nodding, 
usually flexuous, 2-ranked, 9 to 1-spiculate, up to 4 inches long ; rhachis very slender, 
strongly compressed, striate, slightly rough or smooth except along the scabrid 
margins ; pedicels very short, up to f line long, finely puberulous to almost glabrous. 
Spikelets usually more or less spreading, i to 1^ inch long, glabrous, very 
rarely sparingly pubescent, 7 to 16-flowered. 
Glumes acute to acuminate, hvrer subulate to subulate-lanceolate, 1^ to almost 
3 lines long, 4-5- (rarely 3) nerved, upper lanceolate to oblong, 2^ to more than 
lines long, 7-nerved, nerves very prominent. Valves lanceolate, acuminate, gradually 
narrowed into the awn, 3 to 4 lines long, rather firm, finely scaberulous, rarely 
subpubescent above, 7-nerved ; awn up to 3^ lines long, shorter in the lower florets. 
Pales 3|- to almost 4 lines long, rigidly ciliate in the u|)per part ; anthers over 
line long, linear. 
Var. simplex (Stapf). — Culms simple, u]) to more than 2 feet high, erect, rough 
from minute reversed hairs to reversedly hirsute, rarely smooth towards the panicle. 
Panicle up to ^ foot long, flexuous, Spikelets erect or spreading, up to if inch 
long, and to 18-flowered, glabrous, scaberulous. Glumes and valves by about ^ to 
^ longer than in the type. 
HSibitdt : iSatal. Var. sirnjjlex, Umsinga and base of Biggarsberg, Buchanan 
104 ; on the Drakensberg, near Newcastle, Buchanan 198 ; without precise locality, 
Buchanan GO, 61 ; Van Reenen, 5500 feet alt., Wood 8885 ; Zululand, Swanfcld. 
Var. tenue, Umpumulo, 2 100 feet alt., Buchaitan. 233; without precise locality, 
Buchanan 79. 
Drawn from Wood's 8885. 
Fig 1, Lower f>'himeiii)per ; 2, glume ; 3, valve and callus : 4, valve opened ; •'^ pale ; fi, 
pistil, stamens and lodieules. A/l en/aiyrd. 
