706 
[. Panicum .. 
CL VII. GRAMINEiE (Stapf). 
reduced to the common axis and 3-1 distant branches each bearing 
4 or 1 spikelet ; common axis up to 2| in. long, smooth below, 
otherwise, like its very finely filiform to capillary divisions, scaberu- 
lous, branches up to over 1 in. long, undivided for one-third to over 
half its length from the base ; pedicels very unequal, the lateral 
often very short, the terminal up to 6 lin. long, rather stiff, slightly 
thickened towards the truncate or subdiscoid tips. Spikelets oblong, 
acute, 1J lin. long, greenish to straw-coloured, quite glabrous. 
Glumes unequal, membranous, finely and upwards somewhat 
prominently nerved ; lower ovate, acute, up to half the length of the 
spikelet, 5-nerved, nerves joining by their tips ; upper of the length 
and outline of the spikelet, 7-nerved. Lower floret reduced to its 
valve, this very similar to the upper glume. Upper floret oblong, 
subacute, almost as long as the spikelets, at length fuscous, polished ; 
valve and valvule thinly coriaceous. 
Nile Land. Jur : G hattas ’ Great Seriba, Schweinfurth, 2003 ! 
— J= \jZZZ -'- ujiscuu — ' 
61. P. turgidum, ForsJc. FI. /Egypt.- Arab. 18. Suffrutescent, up to 
4 ft. high, with stout root-fibres (over 1 lin. in diam.) and large extra- 
vaginal innovation-buds which grow into erect or ascending or long 
prostrate culms, which together form low dense bushes ; cataphylls 
ovate to oblong, firm, whitish, finely pubescent to tomentose at the 
base. Culms terete, woody, solid, 1-2 lin. diam., the whole plant 
very glaucous, glabrous and smooth, many-noded with very un- 
equally long internodes (up to over 6 in. long), frequently producing 
fascicles of numerous short or long branches from the nodes, the 
strongest- of which may repeat this mode of branching. Leaf- 
sheaths firm to coriaceous, those supporting branches soon drying 
up, becoming straw-coloured and thrown aside, 1-3 in. long, the 
upper very tight, all glabrous, smooth and very finely striate ; 
ligule reduced to a dense ciliate rim ; blades extremely variable 
in size, linear, tapering to a fine pungent point, when well developed 
up to 8 in. by 3J lin., flat, rigid, but mostly more or less reduced,, 
often to mere sharp points, glabrous, smooth below, slightly rough 
above, with distant spinules along the margin, midrib very slender, 
whitish, lateral nerves very numerous, close, fine, prominent, not or 
hardly differentiated. Panicles very different in size, those of 
lateral branch clusters usually much reduced, short and mostly 
narrow, the longest 6-9 in. by 2-3 J in., oblong or ob Ovate- oblong in 
outline, divided to the fourth degree ; common axis slender, terete, 
smooth, finely striate, lowest 1 or 2 internodes up to 2 (rarely 3) in. 
long, the following much shorter, primary branches divided from low 
down but the basal branchlets of the lowest often arrested, flexuous, 
the longest about half the length of the panicle, filiform, more or 
less angular and scabrid or scaberulous, ultimate divisions short and 
contracted, often much reduced and then the branches racemiform 
to spiciform ; pedicels subterete, scaberulous, very short, to 2 lin. 
