460 
CL VII. GRAMINE.ZE (Stapf). 
[. Digitaria . 
upwards, with obtuse but not clavate tips, appressed, very slightly 
exceeding the tip of the valve, often purplish. Lower floret : valve very 
similar in shape, size and hairiness to the upper glume, 7-nerved, nerves 
equidistant, sometimes an imperfect line or tufts of hairs in the space 
between the inner lateral nerves of each half : valvule and lodicules 
very minute. Upper floret ovate-elliptic in outline, shortly acute, 
jp-f lin. by § lin., pale, margins of valve widely gaping. Anthers 
deep purple, § lin. long. — Panicum Ilaclcelii, Pilger in Engl. Jahrb. 
xxx. 118. 
Lower Guinea. Gaboon: Munda District; Sibange Farm, Soyavx, 425! 
Belgian Congo : Lower Congo, Smith ! 
Smith’s plant differs from the original in having the spikelets quite glabrous, 
but in no other way. ^ . f 
29. D. abyssihlpa^ Stapf in Kew Bulletin, 1907, 213. Perennial, 
with a long slender creeping often branching rhizome ; cataphylls 
scarious, strongly striate, early decaying down to the pubescent 
or villous base ; distal innovations extravaginal, subterminal 
intra vaginal growing out into fascicles of barren and flowering shoots. 
Culms usually more or less geniculate, ascending, or sometimes 
prostrate at the base, very slender, J-l ft. high, rarely much higher, 
glabrous, 2-4- or if the base is prostrate more-noded, lowest inter- 
nodes short, terete, simple or branched below. Leaf-sheaths rather 
tight, the lower more or less compressed and keeled, sometimes 
at length slipping off the culm, glabrous or with a few spreading- 
hairs, subherbaceous ; ligules scarious, rounded, up to 2 lin. long, 
usually much shorter, glabrous ; blades linear, tapering to a fine 
point, 1-4 in. by l-|-3 lin., thin, green or more or less glaucous, 
glabrous or more or less loosely hairy. Kacemes 2-9 (rarely more), 
sessile or bare at the base with traces of arrested spikelets, sub- 
digitate or racemoselv arranged on a very slender angular (at least 
upwards) smooth common rhachis 1J-3 in. long, usually solitary, 
sometimes 2-3-nate, erect or more or less spreading, straight, flexuous 
or arching, very slender, 1-3 in. long, rather loose, green, variously 
tinged with purple, the lowest sometimes compound at the base ; 
rhachis more or less wavy, very slender, lin. wide, rarely much 
wider, triquetrous, angles smooth or more rarely scaberulous, inter- 
nodes 1-1 1 lin. long or here and there much longer and then the 
spikelets very unevenly distributed ; pedicels 2-nate, finely filiform, 
s flexuous, angular to subangular, scaberulous or almost smooth, 
unequal, the longer up to 1 lin. long. Spikelets loosely appressed, 
elliptic-oblong, acute or subobtuse, 1 lin. long, glabrous. Lower 
glume membranous, ovate, acute or obtuse, up to 1 J lin. long ; upper 
elliptic-oblong, acute or subobtuse, as long as the spikelet or slightly 
shorter, usually 5- rarely 3- or 7-nerved with the submarginal nerves 
faint. Lower floret : valve very similar in shape and size to the 
upper glume if not slightly longer, 7-nerved, nerves more or less 
prominent, equidistant ; valvule exceeding the lodicules by their 
