Sorghum.'] 
CLVII. GRAMINEAS (Stapf). 
129 
with black glumes and red fruits has been called var. cethiops by Koernicke (in 
Koern. & Wern. Handb. Getreidebaues, i. 313). The name suggests tropical 
Africa, but there is no record of its having been found there. 
17. S. Durra A Stapf. Annual. Culms stout, up to 14 (or even 
more) ft. high, 20-40-noded. Leaf-sheaths finely pubescent at the 
nodes ; ligules very short, shortly ciliate ; blades up to over 15 in. 
by 2 in., quite glabrous (? always). Panicle usually quite compact, 
ovoid or ellipsoid, erect or sometimes recurved, 4-6 in. by 2-4 in. ; 
branches erect, more or less flexuous, rather slender, rough to spinu- 
lously ciliolate, particularly upwards, ciliate to sub villous at the 
base, the longest up to one half or a third the length of the panicle, 
divided from very low down. Racemes compact, tough, about 
4 lin. long (in flower), mostly 3- or 4-noded ; joints somewhat stout, 
flattened, J to almost 1 lin. long, whitish-ciliate ; pedicels similar, 
but still shorter. Sessile spikelet rhombic-obovoid, subacute (in 
flower), 2J-3 lin. by 1J-2 lin., greenish or straw-colour with greenish 
tips, ultimately whitish or variously brown, dark red or black, 
awned or awnless, callus-beard scanty. Glumes equal, coriaceous up 
to beyond one half or two-thirds, then papery, unevenly strigillose, 
particularly at the tips and sides; lower with a broad triangular 
greenish strongly nerved tip, about 12-nerved with 3 or 4 finer nerves 
interspersed, 2-keeled upwards (keels rough), more or less flattened 
out and very broad to rotundate when mature with the tips worn 
off and the back glossy ; upper broad, 9-nerved with some additional 
finer nerves, slightly keeled upwards. Valves ciliate ; lower ovate- 
elliptic, over 2 lin. long ; upper broad-ovate, 2-toothed, 2 lin. long, 
awn up to 5 lin. long, mostly much shorter and then hardly twisted 
and differentiated into column and bristle or quite suppressed. 
Anthers over 1 lin. long. Grain subglobose, slightly compressed, 
with a broad rounded much exposed top, white, yellow or variously 
reddish, 2J lin. by 2J lin., nerveless, embryo-mark faint. Pedicelled 
spikelet neuter (? always), persistent, lanceolate to linear-oblong, 
subacute, up to 3 lin. long, greenish or reddish, lower 11-, upper 
7-nerved. — Holcus Durr a, Forsk. FI. iEgypt.-Arab. 174. H. Duna 
(sphalm.), Gmelin, Syst. 173. Andropogon Sorghum, var. cegyp- 
tiacus, Koern. in Aschers. & Schweinf. 111. FI. %ypte, 164. A. S., 
subsp. sativus, var. Duna and cegyptiacus, Hack, in DC. Monogr. 
Phan. vi. 516. A. S., subsp. s., var. Duna, Chiov. in Ann. Istit. 
Bot. Roma, viii. 24. A. S., var. niloticus and schwein furthianus , 
Koern. in Aschers. & Schweinf. l.c. 778, 779. A. S., var. arabicus and 
rubrocernuus, Koern. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. App. ii. 12 (probably). 
Britrea: Sambar, Island of Seek Said, Terracciano & Pappi, 
"7vv 7 . . dan : Ceteina District, without further indication of origin. Rubber 
Exhibition, London, 1914 ! 
A young specimen collected by the Rev. W. E. Taylor in the Rabai Hills near 
Mombasa, R. E. Africa, is very probably referable to S. Durr a. 
FL. TROP. AF. VOL. IX. K 
