484 
clvii. gr AM iNEiB (Stapf). [Alloteropsis. 
the basal crowded, very firm and more or less silky-tomentose (often 
very densely so) downwards, forming a dense persistent ultimately 
glabrescent hard coat, upper terete, glabrous except at the pubescent 
or shortly bearded nodes and the ciliate outer margin or more or less 
finely hairy to almost villous ; ligules reduced to a ciliate rim ; 
blades linear from a more or less narrowed base, long-tapering to a 
sharp acute point, from a few inches to over 1 ft. long, 1 J-3 in. wide, 
convolute or flat, very firm, rigid, glabrous or more or less loosely 
hairy or ciliate along the lower margins, hairs and cilia tubercle- 
based, strongly and closely nerved, midrib very slender. In- 
florescence mostly of 2 or 3, more rarely 4 or 5 digitate racemes, 
or occasionally reduced to a solitary raceme ; racemes springing 
from a silky-pubescent node, suberect or obliquely spreading, 
usually stiff, 1-J— 8 in. long, with or without a bare base, secund or 
subsecund, dense or rather loose and downwards interrupted ; 
rhachis slender, straight or very slightly wavy, triquetrous, J-J lin. 
wide, scabrid on the angles, scaberulous or puberulous between them 
or with longer hairs particularly downwards ; pedicels mostly 
2-nate, sometimes solitary owing to the arrest of the secondary 
spikelet, or 3-4-nate or fascicled with a very small secondary raceme 
on the lowest nodes, angular, scaberulous or puberulous, or with 
some longer additional hairs, the longest up to 2, rarely 3 and even 
4 lin. long, tips subcupular. Spikelets ovate- lanceolate to ovate- 
oblong, shortly and acutely acuminate, dorsally moderately com- 
pressed, 2-3 lin. long, greenish or variously tinged with brown or 
purple. Lower glume ovate, acutely acuminate, mucronulate, 
1J-1J lin. long, membranous, 3-nerved, glabrous or very minutely 
pubescent, upper firmer, of the outline and size of the spikelet, 
densely ciliate along the margins with the cilia short and usually 
appressed, rarely over \ lin. long and spreading, 5-nerved. Lower 
floret of the same length as the spikelet : valve similar to the upper 
glume, but glabrous, with a minutely truncate tip, more approximate 
side- nerves and a distinctly chartaceous texture with the exception 
of a triangular delicately hyaline and perfectly transparent portion 
at the base, sometimes mottled with brown or with faint brown 
transverse bands ; valvule slightly over 1 lin. long, deeply 2-fid, 
flaps with obtuse ovate auricles extending to above the middle. 
Upper floret almost as long as the lower : valve lanceolate, acuminate, 
chartaceous, 5-nerved, delicately ciliolate, produced into a mucro 
or fine bristle, up to 1J lin. long ; valvule with ovate acute auricles. 
Anthers 1J lin. long. Grain elliptic-oblong, dorsally much com- 
pressed, over 1 \ lin. by f lin. ; scutellum rather large, reaching, to 
the middle of the grain. — A. Chase in Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. xxiv. 
159. A. distachya, Presl, Bel. Haenk. i. 344, t. 47 ; Steud. Syn. Pi. 
Glum. i. 404. Panicum semialatum, R. Br. Prodr. 192 ; Benth. FI. 
Austr. vii. 472 ; Thwaites, Enum. PI. Zeyl. 358 ; Durand & Schinz, 
Consp. FI. Afr. v. 764. P. viaticum , Griff. Ic. PI. As. t. 145, fig. 2. 
