Panicum.] 
CLYII. GRAMINEiE (Stapf). 
667 
17. P. praBaltum, Afz. ex Sw. Adnot. Bot.5. Perennial, 1 to over 
4 ft. high, in slender scanty tufts with intravaginal innovations. 
Culms erect, rarely slightly geniculate, slender to robust, terete, 
simple or more often sparingly branched with erect branches, many- 
noded, internodes enclosed or shortly or the uppermost very long 
exserted, glabrous. Leaf-sheaths terete or the longest upwards 
compressed and slightly keeled, rather tight, quite glabrous or 
ciliate upwards, rarely slightly pubescent towards the junction with 
the blade ; ligule reduced to a membranous often obscure rim, 
ciliolate or more rarely ciliate ; blades linear from a slightly attenu- 
ated base, tapering to an acute point, 4-10 in. by 1J-4 (rarely 4J) 
lin., flat, rather rigid and usually suberect, quite glabrous or hairy 
towards the ligule, very rarely higher up, smooth below, more or less 
rough above and along the margins, midrib whitish, slender but 
conspicuous below, lateral nerves numerous, close, scarcely differ- 
entiated above. Panicle erect, oblong to broad-ovoid, widely open 
in flower or more or less contracted, 4-6 in. long, 1J-6 in. wide, 
divided to the third or sometimes fourth degree ; common axis slender, 
terete or somewhat angular, smooth or more or less rough higher up, 
lowest internodes 1J-1 in. long ; lower primary branches solitary 
or in scanty false whorls, if solitary then undivided only for a short 
distance, the following divided from the base, forming very unequal 
false whorls, the longest usually more than half the length of the 
panicle, finely filiform, scaberulous or upwards almost smooth, 
ultimate divisions subcapillary, more or less wavy ; pedicels very 
unequal, the lateral from J to over 1 lin. long, the terminal to 3 lin. 
long, with minute discoid tips. Spikelets plump, rotundate- ovate 
or rotundate- elliptic in outline, shortly acute to subobtuse, 1 to 
slightly over 1 lin. long, pale green or slightly tinged with brown or 
purple with a metallic yellow lustre, glabrous, rarely sparingly 
puberulous. Glumes membranous, very concave, distinctly and 
often prominently nerved, broad-elliptic in outline, subacute to 
obtuse, the lower two-thirds to four-fifths the length of the spikelet, 
3-nerved, the upper more or less equalling the spikelet, 5-nerved. 
Lower floret : valve very like the upper glume, 5-nerved ; valvule 
slightly shorter ; anthers § lin. long. Upper floret t>, elliptic in 
outline, acute, pale, f lin. long ; valve and valvule thinly papery, 
sparingly verrucose, warts formed of ovoid acute hairs ; anthers 
i lin. long ; mature grain unknown. — Durand & Schinz, Consp. FI. 
Afr. v. 768. P. Baumannii, K. Schum. in Engl. Jahrb. xxiv. 331. 
Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone : Mabum, Thomas, 1669 ! Binkolo, 570 ft., 
Thomas, 1878! Yabaya, 1200 ft., Thomas, 2284! and without precise locality, 
Afzelius ! French Guinea : Fouta Jallon ; Kouria, Caille (Herb. Chevalier, 
19010) ! between Kouria and Trebeleva, Chevalier, 18229 ! Togo, Baumann, 
354! Northern Nigeria : Lokoja, Macleod, 17 ! 
18. P. subrepandum, Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 178. 
Perennial, over 2 ft. high. Culms suberect or geniculately ascending, 
