Sacciolepis.] clvii. gramineje (Stapf). 759 
gibbous in the lower half, acutely acuminate, as long as the upper 
glume, thickened and less distinctly or obscurely nerved in the 
gibbous part, 7-nerved ; valvule lanceolate-linear, almost as long as 
the valve. Upper floret <J>, narrowly oblong, acute, J lin. by slightly 
over J lin. , whitish or greyish, polished ; valve thin, papery, broadly 
embracing the valvule. 
Upper Guinea. French Guinea : Baffing Valley, in water, Pobeguin, 1746 ! 
The shape of the lower valve is very striking, and if quite normal would render 
the recognition of the species very easy. 
11. S. scirpioides, Stapf. Perennial, from an oblique copiously 
rooting rhizome, up to over 3 ft. high, with extravaginal innovations, 
sometimes growing out into short stolons, with papery cataphylls. 
Culms erect, somewhat stout, terete, 3-noded, with the uppermost 
node about the middle, simple above the base, terete, smooth and 
glabrous. Leaf-sheaths rather loose, terete, not keeled, closely 
striate, the lower 2 or 3 crowded at the base, wide, spongy, papery, 
glabrous or very scantily and shortly hairy, the outermost of them 
about 1 in., the innermost up to 6 in. long, the following tighter, 
firmer and more herbaceous, up to over 9 in. long, all with short 
rounded auricles or shoulders at the mouth ; ligules very short, 
membranous ; blades filiform, convolute, with slender slightly blunt 
tips, nearly 1 ft. long, J-f lin. in diam., flattened out 1-1 \ lin. wide, 
flexuous, quite smooth and glabrous or more or less hairy inside and 
above the ligule, midrib very slender, like the nerves obscure upwards. 
False spike on a long-exserted peduncle, cylindric, straight or slightly 
curved, interrupted downwards, otherwise compact or here and 
there looser, 3 to over 9 in. by 2J-3 lin. ; pedicels with a few minute 
hairs, \ lin. long, discoid tips minute. Spikelets broad-ovate in 
outline, subacute or acute, rather symmetrical, about 1 lin. by 
slightly over \ lin., olive-green or brownish, with darker nerves and 
tips (the extreme point of the latter, however, sometimes snow- 
white), glabrous. Glumes membranous, finely but prominently 
nerved ; lower broadly ovate, clasping at the base, often slightly 
gibbous at the base when ripe, 5- to sub-7-nerved ; upper ovate (in 
back view), subacute or acute, with or without a fine hyaline margin 
near the tip, 7 -nerved. Lower floret $ : valve very similar to the 
upper glume, but usually more obtuse, 9-11-nerved ; valvule oblong, 
acute, three-quarters the length of the valve ; anthers f-f lin. long. 
Upper floret §, elliptic-oblong, acute, § lin. by § lin., white, polished. 
Lower Guinea. Angola : Benguella ; country of the Ganguellas and Ambuellas, 
• Gossweiler, 2579 ! 2672 ! 
12. S. glaucescens, Stapf. Perennial from a creeping rhizome, up 
to 1 ft. high ; innovations extravaginal with pale rather thin and 
papery cataphylls. Culms slender, erect or shortly ascending, 
