Brachiaria.] clvii. gramine#: (Stapf). ^5 d 
open forest near km. 108*5 of the Mossamedes railway,* Pearson, 2849 ! 
among rocks in open forest between Gambos Fort and the Mission Station, 
Pearson, 2446 ! Monino, abundant in dry grassland, Newton, 7 ! Serra de 
Chella, Newton, 3 ! Damaraland, Een ! 
A fine grass, at the first glance very different from the Brachiaria type on 
account of the open more branched inflorescence ; the ultimate racemes, 
however, particularly those towards the ends of the branches are very similar 
to those of B. Isachne, which they also approach very closely in the structure 
of their s pikelets. 
43. B. epaleata, Stapf. Annual, up to 1 J ft. high. Culms slender, 
terete, suberect or ascending from, a short decumbent base, rooting 
from the lower nodes, sparingly branched below with the branches 
suberect and flowering, 5-6-noded, uppermost internode by far the 
longest, sparingly and minutely pubescent or slightly rough upwards. 
Leaf-sheaths subherbaceous, tight, striate, glabrous except on the 
sometimes pubescent or shortly ciliate outer margin ; ligules a fringe 
of short stiff hairs ; blades linear-lanceolate to sublinear from a 
shortly rounded, never clasping, base, tapering to an acute point, 
2—4 in. by 2-5 lin., somewhat stiff, green, quite glabrous or with a 
few hairs at the base, margins cartilaginous, closely crisped, spinu- 
lously ciliolate, primary lateral nerves 3-5 on each side, fine, differen- 
tiated from the numerous and close secondary nerves only below, 
midrib very slender. Panicle long-exserted, asymmetrically obovate 
in outline or subsecund at least downwards, 2J-4 in. by 1-2 in., of. 
6-8 moderately distant solitary slender interrupted and compound 
or simple racemes ; common axis slender, subterete and channelled 
at the base, then subtriquetrous, ciliate along the sharp angles, 
terminating with a spikelet. Kacemes slightly flexuous or the shorter 
almost straight, the lowest 1J-3 in. long and obliquely erect, the 
upper much shorter and more spreading, all simple or the lower 
compound to beyond the middle with the secondary racemes loose 
and £-J lin. long ; rhachis very slender, triquetrous, up to § Jin. 
wide, ciliolate along the angles ; pedicels solitary or geminate, 
filiform, angular, loosely pubescent, with some longer hairs at the 
tips, the longest up to 1 \ lin. long. Spikelets or pairs of spikelets or 
secondary racemes distant by 3J-2 lin., or the solitary spikelets of 
simple racemes and racemules often by slightly less than their own 
length, ail the spikelets oblong, subacute or rather obtuse, slightly 
flattened on the back, ljlin. long, greenish, quite glabrous. Glumes 
very unequal, the lower broad-ovate, obtuse or subacute, clasping, 
over one-third the length of the spikelet, 3- or sub-5-nerved : the 
upper corresponding in shape and size to the spikelet, thinly mem- 
branous, 5-nerved. Lower floret neuter, reduced to the valve which 
resembles very much the upper glume but is slightly depressed on 
the back. Upper floret J>, oblong, subacute, almost 1 lin. long, 
whitish ; valve and valvule thinly crustaceous, delicately striate, 
rugulose, the transverse rugse very short.- Anthers \ lin. long. — 
