Vetiveria,\ 
5, Smpf ik Kew Bulletin , 1906, 346-349, 362. 
1. V. zizanioides, 
Rhizome aromatic. Culms stout, up to over 6 ft. high, usually 
sheathed all along. Leaf-sheaths compressed, particularly the lower 
which are sharply keeled and fan-like imbricate, very smooth, firm ; 
ligules reduced to a scarious rim ; blades linear, acute, 1-3 ft. long, 
2-5 lin. wide, erect, rigid, firm or somewhat spongy, usually glabrous, 
rarely more or less hairy downwards on the face, pale-green, midrib 
slender, lateral nerves close, 6 or more on each side, rather stout, 
slightly prominent, margin spinulously rough. Panicle oblong, up 
to over 1 ft. long, usually contracted ; rhachis stout, smooth ; whorls 
6-10 with up to 20 rays ; branches oblique to suberect, naked for 
up to 2 in., filiform, slightly rough. Racemes up to 2 (rarely 3) in. 
long, very slender ; joints about as long as the sessile spikelets or 
sometimes distinctly exceeding them, smooth or more or less rough, 
minutely and unequally ciliolate at the slightly oblique tips ; pedicels 
similar but shorter. Sessile spikelet linear-lanceolate to almost 
linear, acute or subacute, 2-2J lin. long, yellowish, olive- or violet- 
brown or purplish to almost black ; callus obtuse, under \ lin. long, 
glabrous. Glumes acute, coriaceous ; lower muriculate all over the 
back, 5-nerved, lateral nerves close, very fine ; upper glume spinulously 
muricate on the keel. Valve of lower floret as long as the glumes, 
acute, reversedly ciliolate, upper floret up to 1J lin. long, narrow, 
oblong-lanceolate, mucronulate, eciliate. Anthers 1-1J lin. long. 
Pedicelled spikelet sparingly aculeolate or almost smooth ; valve of 
upper floret entire, acute. — V. odorata, Virey in Journ. de Pharm. 
Ire ser. xiii. 499. V. arundinacea and F. muricata, Griseb. FI. Brit. 
W. Ind. 559, 560. Phalaris zizanioides, Linn. Mant. Alt. 183. Andro- 
pogon muricatus, Retz. Obs. iii. 43. A.festucoides, J. S. Presl in C. B. 
Presl, Reliq. Hsenk. i. 340. A. squanosus, Hack, in DC. Monogr. Phan, 
vi. 542 (var. genuinus ), not of Linn. f. Agrostis verticillata, Lam. 111. 
Gen. i. 162. Anatherum muricatum, Beauv. Agrost. Expl. Planch. 15. 
Lower Guinea. French Congo : Brazzaville, Chevalier, 11225 ! Belgian 
Congo : Boma, Gillet, Wilwerth ; Stanley Pool Distr. ; between Leopoldville 
and Mombasi, Gillet. 
So far found in the wild state only in tropical Asia ,* cultivated on account of 
the aromatic roots in many parts of the tropics and therefore possibly also in 
the Congo region. It is the Khas-Khas of Anglo-Indians and the source of 
Vetiver oil (oleum Andropo^qnis muricati). 
2. V. nigritana A Stapf. Culms and leaves as in V. zizanioides. 
Panicle oblong, up to over 1 ft. long, rigid and contracted or often 
somewhat nodding and more or less open ; rhachis moderately stout, 
smooth ; whorls 8-10 with up to 15 rays ; branches obliquely erect, 
often flexuous or curving, naked for up to over 2 in., finely filiform, 
smooth or nearly so. Racemes up to 6 in. long, very slender ; joints 
filiform, as long as to twice as long as the sessile spikelets, smooth, 
tips somewhat oblique, very minutely ciliolate ; pedicels similar, 
but shorter. Sessile spikelet very narrowly linear-lanceolate to 
linear, acuminate, 3-3J lin. long, dull-green or somewhat purplish ; 
