744 
CL VII. GU AMINE JE (Stapf). 
[ Ichnanihus - 
front and sometimes turgid, falling entire from the pedicels or after- 
shedding the ripe false fruit, solitary or downwards 2-nate, secund or 
subsecund and adaxial, or without definite orientation, on the very 
slender filiform terete or more or less angular rhachis of racemosely 
or paniculately arranged racemes ; lower floret or barren, upper 
floret Glumes similar, although usually unequal, herbaceous- 
membranous, 3-7-nerved. Lower floret : valve more or less like 
the upper glume ; valvule thinly membranous to hyaline, more or 
less developed; Upper floret ^ ; valve muticous, firmly coriaceous, 
the margins variously modified at the base, forming a short wing, 
decurrent on the internode and collapsed in the dry state, but 
swelling out when wetted, or more or less produced into auricles of 
sometimes considerable size ; valvule subequal to the valve, of 
similar substance, with bluntly involute margins, clasped all along 
by the valve. Lodicules 2, broadly cuneate. Stamens 3. Styles 
distinct ; stigmas laterally exserted at or above the middle. Grain 
oblong, dorsally flattened, convex on the face ; scutellum elliptic, 
about half the length of the grain ; hilum rather large, elliptic, basal. 
— Perennial. Blades lanceolate to ovate with a much constricted 
more or less oblique base, sometimes contracted into a short petiole, 
rarely linear and narrowed towards the base, faintly transversely 
veined. Bacemes loose or contracted, often compound. Spikelets 
frequently rather large, with herbaceous glumes. 
Species oyer 25, in the tropics of both hemispheres, but mostly American. 
1. I. pallens, Munro in Benth. FI. ffongk. 414. Perennial, up to 
2 ft. high, with a creeping rooting base. Culms slender, geniculately 
ascending from the prostrate base, the upright portions 7-8-noded 
and sparingly branched, easily compressible, striate, with alternate 
pubescent lines, lowest internodes (particularly the prostrate) more 
or less compressed, the upper terete. Leaf-sheaths rarely over 4 in. 
long, much shorter than the internodes, tight, subherbaceous, densely 
ciliate along the margin, with a densely hairy transverse line at the 
junction with the blade, otherwise glabrous or loosely and usually 
very sparingly hairy, prominently finely striate ; ligule a mem- 
branous ciliolate rim ; blades lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate from a 
much constricted oblique base, acutely acuminate, 14-2 in. by 
4-9 lin , flat, thinly papery, dark green above, quite glabrous or 
minutely and very sparingly hairy below, somewhat rough above, 
margins scaberulous, midrib hardly different from the distant primary 
lateral nerves, 3-4 on each side, secondary nerves about 5 in each 
interval, extremely fine, transverse veins numerous, delicate. 
Panicles terminal and lateral (from 1 or 2, rarely 3, uppermost 
leaves), very shortly exserted or with their base enclosed in the 
supporting sheath, 2-3|- in. long, slightly nodding, narrow to very 
narrow, green, the terminal divided to the third or fourth degree, with 
1-3 basal branches, the latter up to 3 in. long ; common axis and 
