CLVII. GRAMINE^E (Stapf). 
505 
Brack, iaria .] 
Although Leucophrys has been placed here near Brachiaria the affinity is not 
very evident. The orientation of the spikelets with regard to their rhachis 
is very vague, as is also the dorsiventrality of the rhachis. Apart from floral 
characters relied upon for the generic characters the two species referred here to 
Leucophrys have also this in common, that the tips of their blades are drawn 
out into a fine somewhat hard curved or hooked and almost spinous point. 
The continuation of the rhachilla of the spikelets of L. glomerata into a fine 
rigid subule of varying length is a remarkable feature, quite unusual in Panicece. 
62. BRACHIARIA, Gris, in Ledeb. FI. Ross. iv. 469. 
Spikelets oblong to ovate- or elliptic-oblong, awnless, usually 
more or less flattened or slightly depressed, convex on the back, 
falling entire from the pedicels, 1-2-nate, more rarely in fascicles 
of 3 or more, secund andjjdagjaJ. on the triquetrous or flat rhachis 
of moderately slender or stout mostly spiciform racemes ; lower 
floret (J or barren with a usually well-developed valvule, very rarely 
the latter suppressed. Glumes dissimilar and mostly very unequal 
in length, the lower being the shorter, upper resembling and more or 
less equalling the valve of the lower floret, 5-7 - (very rarely 9) -nerved 
with the nerves evenly distributed. Lower floret : valve 5-, 
very rarely 7-nerved, the lateral nerves placed towards the margins 
and distant from the middle nerve ; valvule usually only slightly 
shorter than the valve with well-developed indexed flaps or the latter 
vanishing above the middle. Upper floret : valve oblong to elliptic 
in outline, emucronate, though sometimes contracted into a small 
projecting point, more or less crustaceous or subcoriaceous with firm 
margins, narrowly involute, faintly 5-nerved ; valvule almost as 
long as the valve, 2-keeled, its sides tightly embraced by the valve 
all along, of the same texture as the latter. Lodicules 2, small, 
broadly cuneate. Stamens 3. Styles distinct ; stigmas plumose, 
laterally exserted from the upper part of the spikelet. Grain tightly 
enclosed by the more or less hardened valve and valvule, broad 
oblong or elliptic, dorsally compressed, more or less flattened on 
both faces with broadly rounded sides ; hilum subbasal, puncti- 
form ; embryo half to over three-quarters the length of the grain. 
— Perennial or annual ; blades linear to lanceolate, usually flat ; 
ligules reduced to a narrow ciliate or ciliolate rim ; racemes usually 
subsessile and solitary on a common axis, sometimes bare at the base 
owing to the arrest of spikelets, rarely truly peduncled and panicled 
(B. poceoides), simple or compound near the base, rarely to or beyond 
the middle ; rhachis filiform, triquetrous or more or less flattened 
and herbaceous with a wavy or zig-zag midrib which projects as a 
mostly acute keel on the face ; pedicels solitary or in pairs, alternately 
to the right and the left of the facial angle or the midrib, if solitary 
all short or very short, if paired, the primary slightly to very much 
longer ; spikelets closely appressed, always 2-seriate in the plan, 
but frequently becoming 1-seriate by the dovetailing of the alternate 
spikelets of the closely approximate ranks, more or less contiguous 
