PLATE 480. 
Pennisetum typhoideum, Rich. (Fl. Cap, Vol. VII., p. 432). 
Nat. Order Gramineie. 
Annual. — Culms erect, stout, 1 to several feet high, usually terete and 
simple, 5- or more noded, hairy to villous below the panicle, otherwise usually 
glabrous ; sheaths terete, glabrous except the bearded nodes and the often villous 
junction with the blade, rarely hirsute, usually slightly rough, rather shorter than 
the internodes ; ligule a nai'row long and densely ciliate rim; blades linear to 
linear-lanceolate from a rounded base, acute, to 2 feet by ^ to 1^ incli, flat, 
more or less rough, glabrous, rarely hirsute. 
Panicle spike-like, cvlindric, very dense, 4 to 8 inches by o to 9 lines (in the 
South African specimens) or longer and thicker, often purplish, rhachis stout, 
villous; branchlets reduced to a peduncled involucrate cluster of 3-1 splkelets ; 
peduncles villous, straight, 1 to 2^ lines long, often horizontally spreading or partly 
deflexed ; involucre of verv numerous ciliate often purplish bristles about as long 
as the spikelets. 
Spikelets sessile or .shortly pedicelled witliin the involucre, readily deciduous 
when ripe, oblong. 2 to 24 lines long, pale or purplish upwards. 
Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse, minute, hyaline, nerveless, ciliate, or larger 
(the iqyper to |- the length of the spikelet), firmer and 3-nerved ; florets siuiilar, 
subequal, lower male or reduced to a miimte empty hyaline valve. Valves broadly 
oblong, cuspidate or mucronate, 5 to 7-nerved, glabrous, ciliate or pubescent 
towards the margins or at the tips. Pales broad, oblong, truncate, glabrous, 
ciliate, or the flaps pubescent below. Lodicules 0. Anthers 1 to 1^ line long, tips 
bearded ; styles connate ; grain ellipsoid to subglobose, equalling the gaping 
chartaceous ver}^ smooth valve and pale. 
HSLbitSit : Natal. Near Durban, Drege ; and w ithout ])recise locality, Cooper 
3338 ; Nels Rust (cultivated), Government Herbarium. 9090. 
Drawn from specimens grown in Botanic Gardens, Durl)an. Feb., 1907. 
" The 'Pearl Millet.' — An annual requiring only about three months to ripen 
its crop. The stems reach to 6 to 10 feet in height, several being produced fi'om 
one root, and each again forming lateral branches. Together with Soighum, this 
is the principal cereal except rice grown in India by the native races ; it requires 
a rich soil, and on such will yield a hundred fold It furnishes hay of good quality, 
though not very easily dried, and is also valuable as green fodder. It is cultivated 
in the United States of America, and it matures as far nortli as Christiana, in 
Norway. Farm stock eat it greedily. One plant of ' Pearl Millet ' is worth three 
of maize for fodder." — Baron F. v. Mueller. 
Fig 1, Spikelets, showing involucre ; 2, lower glume; 3, upper glume : 4, lower valve; 
5, pale ; 6, upper valve ; 7, same opened ; 8, pale ; 9, pistil and stamens. AN enlarged. 
