Ischcemum.\ 
CLVII. GRAMINE^E (Stapf). 
29 
oblong or lanceolate, dorsally compressed ; embryo reaching to 
the middle of the grain. Pedicelled spikelet in structure like the 
sessile, or more or less reduced, £ or neuter and awnless. — Generally 
perennial ; blades convolute when young, at length flat ; ligules 
generally membranous ; racemes compressed, joints flattened or 
subconcave on the inner side and often stout ; sessile spikelets 
dorsally compressed, often rather broad, the pedicelled sometimes 
apparently laterally compressed with a median keel owing to the 
more or less complete suppression of one side. 
Species about 50, all in the tropics of the Old World, except 3 in tropical 
America. 
Sessile spikelets concave on the back ; blades linear 
up to over 1 ft. long, 2-3 lin. broad (§ Coelisch- 
cemum). 
Racemes slender, glaucous, the lowest on a slender 
peduncle up to over \ in. long ; spikelets 2-3 
lin. long ; ligule acute, up to 3 Tin. long ... 1. I. glaucostachyum. 
Racemes rather stout, not glaucous, often tinged 
with purple, the lowest sessile or subsessile, ex- 
cept when there are more than 3 racemes; spike- 
lets 3-4 lin. long ; ligule truncate, up to 1 lin. 
long 2. I. brachyatherum. 
Sessile spikelets ovate-lanceolate, oblong or obovate- 
oblong, flat or slightly convex on the back ; blades 
lanceolate, rarely over 6 in. by 3-4 lin. (§ Eu- 
ischcemum). 
Keels not or very narrowly winged, spikelets ovate - 
lanceolate to narrowly oblong. 
Branches, peduncles, racemes, joints and pedicels 
rather slender ; the racemes not over 1 in. 
long ; lower glume of subsessile spikelet 2£ 
lin. long, pale, glabrous and shining below, 
brownish, hairy, and prominently striate 
above ... ... ... . . . 3. /. tallanum. 
Branches, peduncles, racemes, joints and pedicels 
stouter ; racemes up to 3 in. long ; lower 
glume of subsessile spikelet 24-3 lin. long, 
usually purple, prominently striate and 
white-hairy over a greater part of the back... 4. I. purpurascens. 
Keels broadly winged above, spikelets hence obo- 
vate-oblong to broad-oblong, smooth, shining 
and constricted towards the base, prominently 
striate, scaberulous and more or less hairy up- 
wards ... ... ... ... ... ... 5. I. arcuatum. 
1. I. glaucostachyum, Stapf in Dyer, FI. Cap. vii. 328. Peren- 
nial. Culms up to 3 ft. long, slender, erect, simple, glabrous, terete. 
Leaf-sheaths terete, very tight, glabrous, smooth, the upper shorter 
than the internodes ; ligules membranous, 2J-3 lin. long, oblong, 
acute, ciliate ; blades linear, tapering to a setaceous point, up to 
6 in. by 2 lin., flat, erect, rigid, glaucous, glabrous, smooth, margins 
scabrid. Kacemes 3-4, fascicled, glaucous, 3-6 in. long, distant 
from the uppermost sheath, on slender glabrous peduncles 3-7 lin. 
