Heteropogon.] clvii. gramine^: (Stapf). 
411 
spikelets lanceolate, long-subulate-acuminate, 8-10 lin. , 
long, with a longitudinal median series of depressed 
glands ... ... * ... 2. H. melanocarpvs. 
CL ,) 
1. H. contortus^ Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. ii. 836. Perennial, 
csespitose, up to over 3 ft. high, innovations extra- and intravaginal. 
Culms erect or geniculate-ascending, more or less compressed in the 
lower internodes, glabrous, smooth, quite simple or more often only 
for the first 3 or 4 internodes, then branched : lowest branches barren 
or mixed or like the following entering into the formation of a spathe- 
ate panicle. Leaves glaucous-pruinose ; sheaths compressed, keeled, 
with the keels sometimes raised, quite glabrous, or with a few 
tubercle-based hairs at or towards the mouth, rarely ciliate on the 
upper margins, smooth ; ligules short, truncate, ciliolate ; blades 
linear from an equally wide base, acute or the lowest subacute to 
obtuse, the upper sometimes long-tapering to a fine point, 3-9 in. by 
1§-3J lin., folded in bud, then opening out and mostly quite flat, 
suberect and somewhat stiff, glabrous or with some tubercle-based 
hairs towards the base, particularly on the margins, the latter 
cartilaginous, slightly rough at least upwards, midrib slender, 
prominent below, primary lateral nerves 3-4 on each side, promi- 
nulous. Inflorescence consisting of a single terminal raceme or more 
often of several flowering branches, simple or divided from the base, 
forming tiers and collected into a scanty rarely copious and more or 
less fastigiate spatheate panicle ; all or most of the rays simple 
(sometimes one or the other replaced by a leafy branch), slender, 
stiff, erect, from 1J to over 6 in. long (up to the insertion of the 
spatheole) ; subtending leaves like the preceding ones. Spatheoles 
narrow, long-tapering to an acute point, about 3-4 in. long, herbaceous 
to subh^rbaceous, glabrous, soon tightly inrolled ; peduncle stoutly 
filiform, strict or slightly arched, usually subterminally exserted 
during flowering, then lengthening out and often exceeding the 
spatheole by more than 1 in. Kacemes somewhat stout, 1-3 in. 
long, of 3-10 homogamous and frequently up to 12 heterogamous 
pairs ; internodes of the tough portion of the raceme 2-1 lin. long, 
glabrous, of the fertile portion (joints) over 1 lin. long, the free part 
above the insertion of the sessile spikelet J-f lin. long, slender, 
glabrous, with a very oblique tip, the part below (callus) completely 
fused with the base of the lower glume, subcvlindric, up to 1 lin. long, 
very acute to pungent (with a short oblique articulation-face), rufously 
ciliate on the sides, cilia increasing upwards and forming a dense 
beard concealing the joint and the base of the pedicel ; pedicels 
glabrous, | lin. long, disarticulating at the base with a very oblique 
scar. Fertile spikelets cylindric, slender, 3-3 J lin. long (excluding 
the callus), brown, at length very dark. Glumes equal, coriaceous ; 
lower tightly involute, truncate, minutely pubescent or hirtellous, 
about 9-nerved, nerves slightly raised, very obscure in transmitted 
light, with a few transverse veins in the tips • upper glume narrowly 
