Chrysopogon.\ clvii. gramineje (Stapf). 
161 
the withered remains of the old firm leaf-sheaths. Culms very 
slender, 1 to over 2 ft. high, terete, glabrous, upper internodes ex- 
serted. Outer cataphylls of innovation-buds glabrous, smooth, the 
inner like the dorsal prophylls of the lower branches often densely 
silkily villous. Leaf-sheaths very tight except those enclosing the 
young panicles, terete, glabrous ; ligules reduced to a ciliolate rim ; 
blades linear, somewhat contracted at the base, tapering to a fine 
point or the shortest shortly acute to subacute, mostly over 1-4 in. 
long, 1-1J lin. wide, usually flattening out, rather firm, straight or 
flexuous, glaucous, delicately puberulous on both sides, frequently 
with some stiff tubercle-based hairs from the lower margins, midrib 
and lateral nerves (2 on each side) fine, often obscure. Panicle 
shortly or long exserted, ovate-oblong to linear-oblong, 2-4 in. long, 
erect or slightly nodding, contracted or loose ; rhachis very slender, 
slightly rough : branches in whorls of up to 12 or 6-2-nate, rarely 
solitary, almost capillary, very flexuous and nodding during flower- 
ing, J to over 1 in. long, scaberulous or almost smooth, tips oblique, 
shortly bearded, hairs pale ; pedicels finely filiform tapering down- 
wards, shortly ciliate except near the tips where the hairs are some- 
times up to 1 lin. long. Sessile spikelet linear-subulate (seen from 
the back), pale, excluding the callus 2f-3J lin. long; callus acute, 
over 1 lin. long, densely bearded, hairs pale fulvous. Glumes charta- 
ceous, subequal ; lower linear, subobtuse or acute, glabrous with 
the exception of a few hairs at the tips, finely 4-nerved ; upper 
similar, entire or almost so, keel glabrous or nearly so, running out 
into a plumose awn about as long as to twice as long as the spikelet. 
Valve of lower floret narrowly oblong, as long as the glumes, 
reversedly ciliate, of upper floret very narrow, very minutely 2-lobed, 
glabrous, awn from less than 1 in. to over 1-J in. long, pale, almost 
straight. Anthers 2 lin. long. Pedicelled spikelet as long as or 
somewhat longer than the sessile, sparingly hairy, pale. Glumes 
membranous, with plumose awns 3-10 (mostly about 5-6) lin. long, 
lower 7-nerved, upper 3-nerved, reversedly ciliate upwards. Valves 
acute, lower as long as the glumes, lanceolate-oblong, reversedly 
ciliate all along, upper linear, ciliate near the tip only.- — Chrysopogon 
quinqueplumis , A. Bich. Tent. FI. Abyss, ii. 450. Andropogon 
aristidoides, Steud. Syn. PL Glum. i. 397. A. quinqueplumis, Hochst. 
ex Steud. l.c. i. 398. A. Aucheri , var. quinqueplumis , Hack, in DC. 
Monogr. Phan. vi. 561 ; Durand & Schinz, Consp. PL Afr. i. 707 ; 
Chiov. in Ann. Istit. Bot. Eoma, viii. 25. 
Nileland. Nubia : between Suakin and Berber, Schweinfurth, 316, 580 ! 
707 ! 708 ; Erkowit Mountain, Schweinfurth, 284 l Eritrea : Dalak Island, 
Ehrenberg ! Assaorta, Pappi, 84 ! Mensa, Terracciano 6o Pappi, 2051, 2365. 
Abyssinia : in the valley of the Taccazze near Jelajeranne, Schimper , 726 ! 
v Var. pulvinatus, Stapf. Forming dense small-leaved cushions resting on 
numerous slender upwards wiry much-branched old stem-bases about 2 in. 
high, the filiform culms rising above them to £-1 ft. Leaf-blades mostly 1 in. 
by f- 1 lin., shortly acute to subacute. Panicle up to 2 in. long, scanty ; 
PL. TROP. APR. VOL. IX. ( M 
