506 
CL VII. GRAMINEiE (Stapf). 
\Brachiaria. 
with their sides or imbricate forming dense spike-like racemes, or 
distant by almost their own length or more, glabrous or hairy. — • 
Panicum § Brachiaria, Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL iii. 1102 (partly). 
Species about 80, in the warm parts of both hemispheres, but mostly in 
Africa. 
Lower glume usually very broad, obtuse, truncate or 
emarginate, § or more of the length of the spikelet 
with 9-11 or more firm parallel nerves or ribs, rarely 
narrower, subobtuse and only f the length of the 
spikelet with 5 parallel nerves (4. B. Mans) ; upper 
glume and lower valve reticulate from the base or 
cross- veined in the upper part only (7. B. falcifera, 
and the 3 following species) ; lower floret 6, racemes 
simple, their rhachis slender, trigonous or flattened 
and herbaceous with a slender usually zig-zag midrib ; 
spikelets solitary, all subsessile ; perennial or annual I. Reticulata. 
Lower glume half or less the length of the spikelet, finely 
nerved, rarely nerveless, nerves up to 11, but usually 
much less numerous, more or less inarched upwards 
and frequently anastomosing there ; upper glume 
and lower valve without cross-veins or with cross-veins 
towards the tip only. 
Rhachis more or less flat, herbaceous, sometimes ribbon - 
like with a slender raised midrib ; spikelets solitary, 
subsessile or more rarety downwards 2-na.te, dorsally 
somewhat flattened, in simple racemes or fascicled in 
compressed racemes (18. B. muiica frequently); 
perennial (except 21. B. dislachyoides ) II. Mutica. 
Rhachis more or less triquetrous, sometimes filiform. 
Spikelets 1|-3| lin. long, usually turgid. 
All spikelets subsessile, their pedicels rarely ex- 
ceeding 4 lin. ; lower floret $ ; perennial, or 
robust simple -stemmed annuals. 
Spikelets solitary and 1-2-seriate or fascicled in 
2-4-seriate racemes (25. B. obtusifiora), gla- 
brous or at least not villous, 2-3 1 lin. long ; 
perennial or annual III. Brtzantha 
Spikelets typically solitary, 2-seriate, evenly 
silkily villous or with a silky transverse sub- 
apical fringe ; racemes mostly simple, lower 
glume thinly membranous, pubescent ; 
perennial ” '.. IV. Lachnantha. 
Spikelets (at least those near the base of the raceme) 
normally 2-nate with the primary on an elon- 
gated pedicel, rarely all solitary and shortly 
pedicelled (31. B. leucacrantha) or subsessile 
(38. B. pubifolia) ; lower floret barren (except 
in 30. B. arida) ; all annual (except 30. B. arida 
and possibly sometimes 39. B. glaum), usually 
short- branched grasses with slender culms ... V. Ramos a. 
Spikelets from less than 1-lf lin. long on the very 
slender rhachis GV~i lin.) of simple or more often 
compound racemes, somewhat flattened on the - 
back, rarely much convex and turgid ; lower 
glume small to very small, delicately 5-1 -nerved [phylla 
op nerveless ; annual (except 47- B, andongensis) VI. Disticho- 
