760 clvii. geamine^ (Stapf). [Sacciolepis » 
terete, glabrous and smooth, 1-noded above the basal tuft of leaves, 
with the node much below the middle. Leaf-sheaths rather unequal, 
those of the basal leaf -tuft (2-3) short, wide, spongy -papery, rounded 
on the back, J-l in. long, the following more herbaceous, glaucous 
or purplish, the uppermost tight, 2 to over 3 in. long, all sparingly 
hairy, at least upwards, and ciliate along the margins, or the lower 
silkily subtomentose, closely striate, those of the base reticulate if 
spongy, without shoulders or auricles at the mouth ; ligules very 
short, truncate, subhyaline ; blades linear from an equally wide base, 
tapering to a firm almost acicular point, up to 6 in. by 1-1 J lin., 
rigid, mostly convolute, glaucous, somewhat plump, glabrous or 
more or less softly hairy, midrib and nerves very slender, slightly 
raised, smooth. False spike on a long-exserted peduncle, cylindric, 
straight or slightly curved, compact, 3-5 in. by 2J lin. ; pedicels 
glabrous and smooth or with a few minute hairs, tips minutely 
discoid. Spikelets ovate-oblong, obtuse or subobtuse, symmetrical 
or very slightly oblique in profile, not gaping, subterete, up to 1 lin. 
by J lin., greyish-green to greyish-purple, glabrous. Glumes finely 
and prominently nerved, herbaceous with hyaline white margins ; 
lower half to over half the length of the spikelet, 5-nerved ; upper 
ovate (in back view), subobtuse, 7-nerved. Lower floret : valve 
very similar to the upper glume and of the same length, 9-nerved ; 
valvule narrow, linear-lanceolate, acute, up to almost as long as the 
valve ; anthers f lin. long. Upper floret oblong, acute, § lin. 
by J lin., white, polished. 
Mozambique Distr. Mashonaland : Charter Distr., Mundy ; Departm. Agric. 
S. Rhodesia, 2102 ! 
iTstcxW-) 
13. S. typhura^ Staff. Perennial, tufted from a short rhizome,, 
up to 3 ft. high. Culms erect, slender, simple, terete, smooth and 
glabrous, 3-4-noded, rarely more-noded with additional very short 
basal internodes, uppermost internode very long (up to over 1 ft.), 
long-exserted. Leaf-sheaths tight, rather firm, terete, very closely 
striate, glabrous or more or less hairy, particularly upwards, the 
lowest persistent ; ligules membranous, truncate, very short, 
minutely ciliolate ; blades linear from an equally wide or hardly 
contracted base, tapering to a slender slightly callous point, 6-12 in. 
by 1J-5 lin., erect, more or less rigid, convolute or flat, glabrous or 
more or less hairy to subtomentose, scaberulous to scabrid along the 
margins, midrib slender, lateral nerves very close and prominent. 
False spike erect, straight or slightly curved, 5-10 in. by 3 lin., usually 
very dense ; pedicels rarely much over J lin. long, scaberulous or 
puberulous, with minutely discoid tips. Spikelets ovate to ovate- 
oblong or ovate-lanceolate in outline, acute to subacuminate, rarely 
obtuse, usually slightly oblique, more or less turgid, 1 lin. long, 
purplish or blackish-grey, often very dark, more or less finely hirsute 
with white hairs. Glumes membranous, finely but distinctly nerved ; 
