118 
CL VII. GKAMINEiE (Stapf). 
[Sorghum. 
Sorghum of the Gabi Sad to the wild form. Andropogon Sorghum niloticus, 
Stapf ex Piper in Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash, xxviii. 41 , based on a specimen col- 
lected on the White Nile below Gaba Shambe (70° N. Lat.) by J. Murie on 
Petherick’s expedition, is in my opinion probably nothing but a state of 8. 
verticillifiorum with spikelets bulging more than usual and with rather tardily 
disarticulating racemes. 
This and the two preceding species are very closely allied and apparently 
overlap so as to merge into each other. They are, however, as a rule not 
difficult to distinguish, they inhabit, broadly speaking, distinct areas, and S. 
arurtdinaceum and S. verticillifiorum have proved quite constant where intro- 
duced into other countries. All the Brazilian specimens I have seen are easily 
recognised as A. arundinaceum and all those from India, Australia and 
Polynesia as S. verticillifiorum. S. vogelianum has a comparatively limited area. 
7. S. Elliotii, Stapf. Annual. Culms slender, with suberect 
branches from the lower and middle nodes. Leaf -sheaths very 
finely silky -pubescent at the nodes ; ligules glabrous or more or 
less hairy on the back ; blades linear from a slightly narrowed base, 
up to 1 ft. long, 4-5 lin. wide, quite glabrous, dull pale green, midrib 
slender, prominent below. Panicle (fruiting) sublinear, narrow, 
with the longer branches slightly arched and subsecund, about 
7 in. long ; longest branches up to 1J in. long and undivided up to 
1 in. (but mostly much less) from the base, very slender, more or 
less hairy at the base, like the branchlets and the rhachis very rough 
to spinulously ciliate upwards. Racemes very tardily disarticu- 
lating, few-noded, up to J in. long ; joints slender, 1J lin. long, 
ciliate, cilia pale fulvous, not quite J lin. long ; pedicels very similar 
and of about the same length, but more slender and almost black, 
tips like those of the joints slightly thickened. Sessile spikelet 
ovate, acutely acuminate, 2-2J lin. by 1-1 J lin., dark straw-colour, 
glossy, usually tinged with red or quite red or the tips purple ; 
callus-beard about J lin. long. Glumes equal, coriaceous, thinner 
at the tips, lower 11 -nerved, with the nerves very obscurely raised 
towards the tips, 2-keeled and spinulously ciliolate in the upper 
third, sparingly strigillose, at length almost glabrous, hairs loosely 
appressed or those on the sides almost spreading, pale fulvous, upper 
7-nerved, finely keeled on the slender acumen, keel scabrid, almost 
glabrous. Valves conspicuously ciliate, lower broad ovate-oblong, 
2 lin. long, upper 1^ lin. long, 2-lobed to a third, awn 4-6 lin. long. 
Anthers 1 lin. long. Grain (immature) broad-elliptic in outline, 
1 lin. long, dorsally compressed. Pedicelled spikelet lanceolate- 
subulate, up to 3 lin. long, $ or neuter, deciduous, purple ; lower 
glume 8-9-, upper 7-nerved. — Andropogon Sorghum niloticus , Stapf 
ex Piper in Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash, xxviii. 41 (partly). 
Nileland. Uganda : Ruwenzori ; Kasamaga, on granite, Scott Elliott , 7612 ! 
8. S. abyssinicmn A ^^/! Annual. Culms tall, stout, some- 
what pruinose below the nodes. Leaf -sheaths delicately silky- 
pubescent at the nodes ; ligules very short, scarious, dark brown, 
