Panicum .] 
CLVII. GRAMINEAJ (Stapf). 
701 
glabrous or more or less hirsute below the nodes, 3-4~noded, usually 
shortly or the uppermost sometimes long exserted. Leaf-sheaths 
loose or tight, striate, quite glabrous, rarely more or less hirsute with 
tubercle-based ultimately deciduous hairs ; ligule reduced to a thinly 
membranous ciliate rim ; blades linear from a shortly rounded or 
equally wide base, long-tapering to a slender point, 3-8 in. by 2-5 lin., 
flat, pale or yellowish-green, quite glabrous and smooth except at the 
scaberulous margins, rarely more or less hirsute like the sheaths or 
rigidly ciliate towards the base, finely and closely nerved, primary 
lateral nerves 4-6 on each side. Panicle broadly ob ovate or turbinate 
in outline, very loose, open, 3-6 in. long and ultimately often almost 
twice as wide, divided to the third or fourth degree, slender, angular, 
striate or sulcate, smooth or more or less scaberulous ; primary 
branches solitary, rather distant and stiff, subfiliform, oblique or the 
lower at length almost horizontal, up to 3 or 4 in. long, very loosely 
branched from 12-3 lin. above the base, scaberulous like the following 
divisions or smooth downwards ; penultimate divisions rarely with 
more than 2 spikelets ; pedicels finely filiform, very unequal, the 
lateral mostly longer to much longer than the spikelet, the terminal 
up to 6 lin. long, all with subcupular tips. Spikelets ovate to 
elliptic-oblong in outline, acute or subacuminate, hardly gaping 
except when ripening, 1J lin. by f lin., greenish to straw-coloured, 
glabrous. Glumes thinly membranous, very unequal ; lower broad- 
ovate, acute to subacute, clasping, about half the length of the spike- 
let, 5- (rarely 7 -) nerved, nerves usually anastomosing below the tip ; 
upper corresponding in size and outline to the spikelet, 7-9- (more 
rarely 11-) nerved, nerves prominent upwards. Lower floret barren : 
valve very similar to the upper glume ; valvule oblong, acute, slightly 
shorter, flaps narrow. Upper floret oblong, subacute, lin. by 
slightly over lin., pale olive-brown, very glossy and smooth : valve 
and valvule crustaceous ; anthers § lin. long. Grain elliptic in 
outline, very obtuse, § lin. by over lin., yellowish ; scutellum more 
than half the length of the grain. — Kunth, Enum. PI. i. 115 ; Steud. 
Syn. PL Glum. 73 ; Durand & Schinz, Consp. PI. Afr. vi. 752 (partly). 
P. psilojp odium, var. afrum, Stapf ex Cheval. Sudania, 34, 160 (name). 
Upper Guinea. Senegal : Walo and Richard Tol, Perrottet. French Spdan : 
Middle Niger ; Sompi, Chevalier, 2279 ! Takadji. Chevalier, 2281 ! Northern 
Nigeria : Katagum District, Dalziel, 262 ! 
North Central. Baghirmi ; Nigui, Chevalier, 9465 ! Massenia, Chevalier, 
9621 ! Aouni, Chevalier, 9934 ! 
Dalziel says that this grass, known as “ Baia ” in the Katagum district, is 
an important food in time of scarcity. 
56. P. sociale, Sta^pf. Annual, up to almost 1 ft. high, growing 
in dense stands. Culms erect or geniculately suberect, filiform, 
terete, about 5-noded, simple or sparingly branched with all the 
branches flowering, more or less spreadingly hirsute with long very 
fine tubercle-based hairs, intermediate internodes about 1J in. long, 
