526 clvii. GtRamineje (Stapf). [. Brachiaria . 
17. B. latifolia, Staff. Perennial, base unknown, but apparently 
a tall coarse grass, sheathed high up with a leaf-branch from one of 
the upper internodes, Leaf -sheaths moderately tight, terete, keeled 
upwards, finely striate, glabrous and smooth ; ligules a ciliolate 
narrow rim ; blades linear from an almost equally wide base, up to 
over 10 in. by J in., green, flat, quite glabrous, margins almost 
smooth or scabrid, primary lateral nerves up to 5 on each side, like 
the midrib very slender underneath. Inflorescence about 8 in. 
long, terminating with a subulate point, of about 7 sessile spreading 
straight or subfalcate secund spike-like racemes ; common axis 
slender, terete and deeply channelled below, triquetrous above, 
scaberulous along the angles upwards, glabrous, internodes 1 J-2J in. 
long in the lower and intermediate part, J— | in. in the upper third. 
.Racemes simple, dense or the lowest interrupted towards the base, 
2-seriate, from almost 4 (lowest) to 1 in. long, greenish ; rhachis 
flat, green, straight, 2“i lin. wide, glabrous, with scaberulous angles, 
the facial angle (midrib) slender, internodes J-f or in interrupted 
racemes up to 3 lin. long ; pedicels solitary or partly 2-nate in the 
lowest racemes, all very short, glabrous or almost so with discoid 
tips. Spikelets contiguous except in interrupted racemes, oblong, 
acute or subacute, somewhat flat on the back, 2J lin. long, glabrous. 
Glumes very unequal, membranous ; the lower broad-ovate, obtuse, 
5-nerved, half the length of the spikelet or almost so ; upper corre- 
sponding in outline and size to the spikelet, 7 -nerved, loosely cross- 
veined near the tip. Lower floret as long as the spikelet : valve 
very similar to the upper glume, but dor sally slightly flattened and 
5-nerved ; valvule oblong, obtuse, almost as long as the valve, 
flaps wide ; anthers orange, 1| lin. long. Upper floret oblong, 
subacute or subapiculate, If lin. long, pale ; valve and valvule 
crustaceous, finely transversely wrinkled, the latter with stout keels ; 
anthers J lin. long ; stigmas black, very conspicuous. 
Mozambique Distr. Nyasaland : Elephant marsh at the Shire River, Kirk ! 
(To-UilO 
18. B. mutica ^Stapf. Perennial, 3-6 ft., or occasionally to 8 ft. 
high. Culms ascending from a sometimes long prostrate and copiously 
rooting base, stout, terete, usually many-noded and sheathed 
high up, simple or sparingly branched, glabrous, often waxy pruinose 
below the nodes. Leaf -sheaths tight, terete, rather firm, those of 
the prostrate bases decaying, glabrous and smooth or hirsute with 
tubercle-based hairs, mostly copiously bearded at the nodes ; ligules 
a ciliolate rim ; blades linear from a shortly and slightly constricted 
base, long-tapering to a slender point, from a few inches to over 1 ft. 
by l | in., flat, somewhat rigid or flexuous, glabrous or, rarely, more or 
less hirsute, margins scabrid, midrib slender like the primary lateral 
nerves (up to over 6 on each side) but little conspicuous. Panicle 
oblong to ovate-oblong in outline, subsecund or almost quaquaversal, 
often slightly flaccid, 4-8 (mostly 6) in. long ; common rhachis 
