548 
BracJkiaria .] clvii. gramineje (Stapf). 
branched below, glabrous or softly and finely pubescent upwards. 
Leaf -sheaths somewhat thin, the lower loose and often slipping oli 
the culm, finely striate, glabrous, with only a few marginal or sub- 
marginal cilia towards the mouth, to finely pubescent all over or at 
least upwards ; ligules reduced to a line of short white hairs ; blades 
linear-lanceolate from a rounded and often clasping base, long and 
finely acuminate, from less than 2 to 5 (occasionally 6) in. by 3-8 
(occasionally 12) lin., flat, soft and usually flaccid, green, glabrous 
or finely pubescent on the back near the base or all over, margins 
sharply scabrid, primary lateral nerves 3-5 on each side with numerous 
very fine secondary ones between them, midrib slender. Panicle 
at length usually more or less exserted, narrowly oblong, 2-6 in. 
long, of 5 to many solitary downwards somewhat distant, upwards 
approximate or altogether irregularly approximate suberect or 
oblique spike-like racemes ; common axis angular, channelled on 
the adaxillary side, terminating with a spikelet, scabrid along the 
edges of the channel, glabrous or very finely pubescent and some- 
times here and there with longer hairs. Racemes moderately 
slender, the lower 1^-2 J in. long, the upper gradually shorter, straight 
or slightly flexuous, subsessile or the lowest shortly pedunclcd, 
simple or the longer frequently compound downwards or up to or 
beyond the middle, with very short secondary racemes ; rhachis 
triquetrous, slightly wavy to straight, rarely over J lin. wide, scabrid 
along the angles, otherwise glabrous or very finely pubescent, with 
or without scattered long hairs ; pedicej s paired or fascicled (con- 
tracted secondary racemes) or upwards solitary, filiform, angular, 
scabrid, the longest of a pair or fascicle up to 1 lin. long, frequently 
with some long rigid hairs from near the tips. Spikelets (or pairs 
or clusters of spikelets) evenly distant by slightly less than their own 
length or sometimes irregularly approximate or rather remote 
downwards, ovoid, subacute or apiculate, somewhat turgid, 
1J lin. long, greenish, at length pale straw-coloured. Glumes very 
unequal ; the lower broad-ovate, obtuse to subacute, clasping at 
the base, 5-7- (rarely 3-) nerved, the inner or all nerves anastomo- 
sing ; upper corresponding in shape and size to the spikelet, mem- 
branous, glabrous or finely pubescent, 7- (more rarely 5-) nerved, 
nerves distinct, green. Lower floret neuter : valve very similar to 
the upper glume, 5-nerved; valvule oblong, truncate, delicate, 
more or less reduced. Upper floret slightly shorter than the 
lower, ovate in outline, subacute, pale brown when mature ; valve 
and valvule crustaceous, transversely rugose. Grain broad-elliptic 
in outline, flat or slightly depressed on both sides with broad rounded 
sides, up to 1 lin. by ~ lin. ; scutellum ovate-oblong, equalling § 
of the grain . — • Panicum ramosum, Linn. Mant. i. 29 ; Kunth, Enum. 
i. 125 ; Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. i. 97 ; Hook. f. FI. Brit. Ind. vii. 36 
(partly) (glabrous state) ; Hitchcock in Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb, 
xv. 44. P. arvense, Kunth, Rev. Gram. i. 391, t. 109, and Enum. 
