Acroceras.] 
CLVII. GRAMINE^l (Stapf). 
625 
Stapf in Dyer, FI. Cap. vii. 402 ; Wood, Natal PI. t. 154 ; Rendle in 
Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. xl. 229 ; Eyles in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. 
v. 301 ; not of H. B. & K. 
Lower Guinea. Angola : Mossamedes ; in the mud of the Cunene marshes, 
Pearson, 2024 ! 
Mozambique Distr. Portuguese East Africa : in open woods near Beira, 
Swynnerton, 1596 ! Rhodesia : Salisbury, Mrs. Craster, 22 ! 81 ! 
3. A. amplectens, Stapf. Annual, 2-2J ft. high. Culms genicu- 
lately ascending from an often prostrate branched and rooting base, 
or sometimes floating in the water, the erect parts simple or sparingly 
branched, rarely the whole plant erect and simple, moderately 
slender to stout, terete or the internodes of the prostrate base more 
or less compressed, soft, sulcate or angular, the intermediate and 
upper internodes (or sometimes all) more or less exserted. Leaf- 
sheaths subherbaceous, somewhat firm, loose or the upper tight, 
terete, prominently striate, ciliolate or ciliate, otherwise quite 
glabrous and very smooth ; ligule none or represented by an obscure 
semicrescent rim ; blades lanceolate to lanceolate-linear from a 
broad subcordate amplexicaul base, tapering from low down to a 
long slender point, 3-6 in. or sometimes to 1 ft. by 2-3 lin. at the 
middle and 3-7 J lin. at the base, obliquely erect or spreading, flat, 
soft, green to greyish-green, glabrous and smooth except along the 
scaberulous margins, midrib fine below, primary nerves 3-5 on each 
side, distant, distinct below only, with 3-4 secondary nerves between, 
connected by minute often very inconspicuous cross- veins. Panicles 
erect, at length more or less exserted, J-f ft. long, of 4-6 straight or 
nodding (sometimes much so) secund subspiciform branches distant 
on a slender semiterete or upwards more or less triquetrous smooth 
common axis ; branches obscurely villosulous at the very base, the 
longest one-half to two-thirds the length of the panicle, triquetrous, 
with downwards smooth, upwards scabrid angles and a flat sub- 
convex back up to over J lin. wide and an acutely keeled face, bearing 
at its nodes (3-5 lin. distant) from the base, rarely from above it, 
mostly paired spikelets ; pedicels stiff, angular, finely scaberulous to 
scabrid with truncate tips, one very short, the other 1-3 lin. long. 
Spikelets more or less appressed to the rhachis, lanceolate to lanceo- 
late-oblong, bluntly apiculate, up to over 3 lin. long, pale green with 
darker tips, quite glabrous. Glumes membranous, finely nerved ; 
lower lanceolate from a clasping base, acuminate, 3-nerved, middle 
nerve widened towards the tip into an acutely or bluntly ending 
scaberulous keel ; upper as long as the spikelet, ovate-lanceo- 
late, long-acuminate, 5-nerved, apiculus laterally compressed, 
almost square or round, thick. Lower floret or barren : valve 
very similar to the upper glume ; valvule narrowly oblong, over 
2 lin. long, minutely truncate, scaberulous, or more or less reduced ; 
anthers if any 1 lin. long. Upper floret narrowly oblong, bluntly 
FL. TROP. AFR. VOL. IX. — PT. 4. 2 S 
