PLATE 471. 
Panicum arrectum, Hack. (Fl. Cap., Vol. YIL, p. 303). 
Nat. Order Graminea\ 
■ Perennial, quite glalirous. — Culms ascending from a prostrate rooting base, 1^ 
to 2 feet long, compressed below, terete in the upper part, glabrous, many-noded, 
scantily branched ; sheaths somewhat loose, striate, smooth, the lower withering ; 
ligule a dense fringe of hairs ; blades linear, acute, 2^ to 4 inches, 1^ to 2 lines, 
usually more or less convolute, rigid, green, smooth exce]^t the scal)rid margins. 
False spikes 2 to 4, distant on a tricpietrous smooth axis up to 3 inches long, secund, 
2-ranked, 1 to 1^ inch long ; rhachis linear, ^ to ^ line broad, flat on the back, with 
a very prominent wavy midrib in front, smooth ; [tedicels solitary, ^-ery sliort, stout, 
tips subdiscoid, with 1-2 s])reading hairs. 
Spikelets contiguous, oblong, suljacutc, IJ to If line long, green or tipped with 
])urple. 
Glumes, hnrer facing the rhachis, thinly membranous, elliptic to rotundate- 
ovate, obtuse, |- to f line long, sub-7 -nerved ; upper membranous, oblong, con- 
spicuously 7 to 9-nerved, nerves green, lower floret male ;. valve like the upper glume, 
but narroAver, 7 -nerved ; pale ecpial, obtuse, anthers over 1 line long. Perfect floret 
broadly elliptic, olituse, 1^ to 1|- line long ; valve 7 -nerved, transversely wrinkled. 
Edbitdt : Natal. Without precise locality, (lerrard ()(S6. 
The plate copied from a drawing made by Miss Smith at Kew, by kind per- 
' mission of the Director. 
Fio' 1, Part of rhacliis and two spikelets ; 2, lower ghune ; 3, upper ghime ; 4, lower 
valve ; 5, ])ale ; 6, upper valve ; 7, pale ; 8, pistil and lodicules. All odan/ed. 
