583 
Fasjpalidium .] clvii. gramine^e (Stapf). 
of racemes -J lin. wide, scaberulous ; spikelets often 
purplish, lin. long, with a broad-ovate 3-nerved 
outer glume, equalling of the spikelet ; a xero- 
phytic grass ... ... 2. P. desertorum . 
1. P. geminatum^ Stapf. Perennial, with long creeping or float- 
ing more or less spongy many-noded simple or branched stolons, 
which give rise to solitary or sparingly fascicled culms, more rarely 
densely caespitose. Culms ascending often from a long prostrate 
rooting base or sometimes erect, usually branched downwards, 
5- to many-noded, rather stout and spongy, upper internodes often 
exserted from the sheaths. Leaves quite glabrous ; sheaths rather 
loose, terete, very smooth, the lower often somewhat spongy and very 
finely striate, often slipping off the culm ; ligules reduced to a finely 
ciliate rim ; blades linear from a more or less equally wide base, 
tapering to an acute point, from a few inches to almost 1 ft. long, 
1J-4 lin. wide, flat or involute, pale green to glaucous, somewhat 
succulent, very finely rough on the upper side, otherwise smooth, 
nerves numerous and close, slightly prominent on the upper side, 
midrib slender. False compound spike slender, erect, from a few 
inches to almost 1 ft. long, of numerous erect or suberect and 
appressed or subappressed spike-like racemes, and terminating with 
such a raceme ; common axis green, triquetrous, flat or keeled on 
the back, lateral angles marginate, scabrid, facial angle much 
projecting, wavy. Racemes sessile, straight, slender, 2-seriate, 
the lowest J to over 1 in. long, usually simple, and distant by their 
own or more than their own length, the following very gradually 
shorter and more approximate, those just below the terminal often 
very short and crowded ; rhachis straight or slightly wavy, pro- 
duced into a short point beyond the uppermost spikelet, triquetrous, 
J-J lin. wide, flat on the back, angles marginate, scabrid or (par- 
ticularly the lateral which are also wider and more herbaceous) 
ciliolate ; internodes about | lin. long ; pedicels solitary, reduced 
to very short stumps with subdiscoid tips. Spikelets numerous, 
slightly imbricate, ovate (in front view), acute or apiculate, 1 lin. 
long, very pale and quite glabrous and smooth. Glumes very 
dissimilar ; the lower a whitish truncate cuff-like scale, J lin. long, 
membranous, very obscurely and shortly 3-5-nerved or apparently 
nerveless ; upper convex, broad-elliptic, almost as long as or dis- 
tinctly shorter than the fertile floret, obtuse to subacute, membranous, 
5merved, with nerves anastomosing upwards. Lower floret : 
valve corresponding in length and outline to the spikelet, very 
similar to the upper glume, but flattened or slightly depressed on 
the back, with the inner side-nerves more distant ; valvule as long 
as the valve, broadly elliptic-oblong, minutely truncate ; anthers 
f lin. long. Upper floret slightly shorter than the lower, <3, elliptic 
in outline, obtuse to subacute, ultimately pale brown : valve and 
valvule crustaceous, very obscurely transversely rugose, shining. 
