40 
CL VII. GRAMINEiE (Stapf). 
[Apluda. 
pedicelled purely <£. Florets 2 : lower upper $ or usually £ in 
the lateral pedicelled spikelet. Glumes equal, herbaceous-char- 
taceous, or subcoriaceous towards the base ; lower convolute, with 
the margins not or very narrowly indexed, upper keeled. Valves 
hyaline ; of lower floret muticous, of upper deeply 2-fid and awned 
from the sinus or nearly or quite entire and muticous. Valvules 
hyaline. Lodicules 2, cuneate. Stamens 3. Stigmas laterally 
exserted. Grain oblong, slightly laterally compressed ; scutellum 
reaching to beyond the middle. — Perennial or annual ; blades flat ; 
ligules membranous. Panicle compound, leafy, the ultimate 
branchlets which bear the spikelets usually clustered. 
Species 1, very polymorphic; Tropical Asia to New Caledonia, Tropical 
Arabia and Socotra. 
1. A. varia, Hack, in DC. Monogr. Phan. vi. 196, var. aristata, 
Hack. l.c. 199. Mostly annual, branched from the base. Culms erect, 
1-6 ft. high, or geniculately ascending and often rooting from the 
nodes, manv-noded, terete, smooth and glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 
terete, tight and glabrous or very rarely sparingly hairy, those sup- 
porting the flowering branches wider and shorter with reduced 
blades ; ligules short, rounded off, glabrous or ciliolate ; blades 
linear-lanceolate, long-attenuated towards the base, almost petioled, 
tapering upwards to a fine setaceous point, from a few inches to over 
1 ft. long, 2J-7 lin. wide, convolute in bud, then flat, somewhat 
rigid or flaccid, glaucous below, glabrous or very rarely sparingly 
hairy, slightly rough above, scabrid along the margins, midrib white 
above, stouter towards the base, primary lateral nerves 5-8 on each 
side, fine. Panicle up to 2 ft. long, much compound, primary 
branches long, those of the following orders gradually shorter, bear- 
ing clusters of trios of spikelets ; spathe at the base of the trios 
ovate to ovate-oblong, mucronate or bearing rudimentary blades, 
glabrous, green or tinged with purple, 2J-3 lin. long ; bulbous basal 
joint up to 1 lin. long, whitish. Sessile spikelet lanceolate-oblong, 
acute, up to 3 lin. long. Lower glume chartaceous, firmer below, 
many-nerved ; upper somewhat gibbous on the back, scaberulous 
on the keel. Lower floret : valve oblong-lanceolate, acute, slightly 
shorter than the glumes, 3-nerved, glabrous ; valvule linear-lanceo- 
late, almost as long as the valve, 2-nerved. Upper floret : valve 
2 lin. long, 2-fid to beyond the middle, awn up to 6 lin. long, very 
fine, with or without a distinct twisted column ; valvule generally 
much shorter, oblong to broad-ovate, nerveless. Anthers 1J-2 lin. 
long. Stigmas purple, up to 3 lin. long. Grain over J lin. long. 
Pedicels 1J-2 lin. long, sparingly ciliate. Lateral pedicelled spikelet 
2j-2| lin. long. Glumes similar, subherbaceous, lanceolate, acute, 
many-nerved ; lower glume rather flat on the back ; upper not or 
obscurely keeled and not gibbous. Florets as in the sessile spikelet, 
but the upper not awned, both <$ or more or less reduced. Terminal 
