Panicum .] 
CLVII. GrRAMINEiE (Stapf). 
671 
pale brown, very minutely and sparingly verrucose at least upwards ; 
anthers slightly smaller than in the g floret. 
Upper Guinea. French Sudan : Sikasso, Chevalier, 805 ! Northern Nigeria : 
Nupe, in swamps, Rafter. 1013 ! in bush near Abinsi, Dalziel, 899 ! Baro, 
Parsons, 13 ! Lokoja, Richardson ! 
22. P. plagianthum, Stapf. Perennial, up to 2 ft. high ; innova- 
tions intra vaginal. Culms geniculately ascending from a branched 
prostrate rooting base, or suberect, very slender, rather wiry below, 
many-noded, nodes exserted, quite glabrous. Leaf-sheaths tight, 
terete, quite glabrous except for the upwards ciliate margins, the 
basal more or less decaying and leaving the wiry internodes bare ; 
ligule reduced to a very narrow membranous ciliolate rim ; blades 
narrowly linear from an equally wide base, very gradually tapering 
to an acute point, 2-4 in. by up to over 1 lin., flat or more often 
setaceously convolute, glabrous or more or less appressedly hairy, 
smooth below and above, or like the margins slightly scaberulous, 
midrib very slender, whitish below, lateral nerves fine, not or im- 
perfectly differentiated. Panicle shortly or laterally exserted from 
the uppermost sheath and often equalled or overtopped by the blade, 
narrow, 2-3 in. long, contracted (permanently ?), divided up to the 
third degree ; common axis very slender, striate, smooth, lower 
internodes up to 1J in. long ; lower primary branches divided from 
low down, emerging with their lowest branchlets in fascicles from the 
sheath, finely filiform, angular and slightly rough ; ultimate divisions 
subcapillary, flexuous ; pedicels unequal, the lateral about J lin. 
long, the terminal 2 lin. long, with minute subdiscoid tips. Spikelets 
ovate- to lanceolate-oblong, acute, ~ lin. long, green, here and there 
with a faint metallic lustre, glabrous. Glumes thinly membranous, 
finely nerved, obliquely lanceolate in profile, acute or apiculate, 
the lower about three-quarters the length of the spikelet and 3-nerved, 
the upper equalling the spikelet and 5-nerved. Lower floret g ; 
valve very similar to the upper glume ; valvule shorter by a quarter, 
subacute ; anthers § lin. long. Upper floret elliptic-oblong, 
subacute, up to over \ lin. long ; valve and valvule very thinly papery, 
very minutely verrucose ; anthers as in the floret. 
Lower Guinea. French Congo : Loango, Lecomte, D. 44 ! Belgian Congo : 
Cataracts Distr. ; in sand by the roadside, near Lutete, 2000 ft., Hens, A. 245 ! 
23. P. sublastum, Stapf. Annual, up to ft. high. Culms erect 
or suberect, slender, terete, simple or branched below, 4-7-noded, 
nodes exserted, glabrous. Leaf-sheaths terete, tight or those sup- 
porting the branches loosened and more or less thrown aside, quite 
glabrous and smooth or softly and sparingly hairy and ciliate up- 
wards ; ligules very short, hyaline, long-ciliate ; blades linear from 
a rounded to subcordate base, long-acuminate, 2-4 in. by 2 J-4J lin. , 
the lowest much smaller, spreading, firm but thin or somewhat 
