Panicum.~\ 
CLVII. GRAMINE^J (Stapf) . 
679 
less acuminate, not mucronate, 7-nerved or upwards with a few fine 
additional nerves ; valvule slightly shorter, oblong, acute, flaps 
equally wide or gradually widening from the middle downwards ; 
anthers f lin. long. Upper floret oblong, obtuse to subacute, 
whitish, 1J lin. long, very smooth ; valve and valvule crustaceous. — 
Durand & Schinz, Consp. FI. Afr. v. 740. P. oxyanthum , Steud. ex 
Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. i. 75. P. subalbidum, Cheval. Sudania, 34 and 
176 ; not of Kunth. 
Upper Guinea. Senegambia : on the right bank of the Senegal near Richard 
Tol, Dollinger, 18 ! Walo country, Roger , 51 ! and without precise locality, 
Heudelot, 286 ! Leprieur . French Sudan : San, Chevalier, 2274 ! Macina, be- 
tween Zinguetti and Sompi, Chevalier, 2285 ! Northern Nigeria : Nupe, in moist 
places, Barter, 838 ! Katagum District, Dalziel, 274 ! Sokoto, Dalziel, 480 ! 
near Adamaua, Macleod, 100 ! Oameroons : Bogolo river, Macleod, 86 ! 
North Central. Shari Territory : between Fort Lamy and Mandjafa, 
Chevalier, 10300 ! 
According to Dalziel this is known in Northern Nigeria as “ Tsuntsia ” 
(native name for a broom, because so used), and is much planted as a field 
boundary in Sokoto. 
Very similar to P. phragmitoides, but distinguished by its less reed-like habit, 
narrower more contracted panicles, with scattered branches and more crowded 
heavier spikelets which have the tips or beaks of their glumes and lower valve 
directed forwards or very slightly inwards and not recurved. I have not seen 
the original of the species, but there seems no reason to doubt the identity of the 
specimens referred here to P. anabaptistum. 
32. P. Ruspolii, Chiov. in Ann . Istit. Bot. Roma, vii. 64, t. 4. 
Perennial, over 2 ft. high, from a slender oblique rhizome, densely 
covered with' tightly appressed firm glabrous cataphylls ; innova- 
tions extravaginal, short, stout, glabrous. Culms terete, woody 
and simple below, then branching fastigiately and sometimes 
copiously, secondary culms (branches) 4-5-noded, pale or glaucous, 
very smooth, lower internodes usually elongated. Leaf-sheaths very 
tight, very firm, finely striate, glabrous or more or less softly hairy, 
particularly towards the mouth, mostly (except the uppermost) 
longer than the internodes ; ligule reduced to a ciliate rim ; blades 
linear from a slightly rounded or almost equally wide base, long- 
tapering to an acute point, J-l ft. by 2-3 \ lin., flat or more or less 
involute, convolute in bud, rigid, pale to bright green, delicately 
loosely hairy or almost villous just above the ligule, uniformly and 
closely striate above, primary nerves about 3 on each side below, 
subdistinct. Panicle obovate or lanceolate in outline, 4-7 in. long, 
1J in. wide, glabrous ; common axis slender, terete, striate, smooth ; 
primary branches solitary or 2-nate, rather distant, the lower 2-3 in. 
long, subfiliform, slightly flexuous or wavy, sub erect, undivided for 
1J— J in., then bearing loosely scattered racemes (secondary axes) 
of 3-2 spikelets closely approximate in their upper part ; axes 
smooth downwards, otherwise finely scaberulous ; pedicels solitary 
or 2-nate, the lateral shorter to much shorter than the spikelets, 
filiform. Spikelets ovate-elliptic in outline, acuminate, soon more 
