Euclasta.] 
CLVII. GRAMINEiE (Stapf). 
181 
margins narrowly and sharply indexed down to the middle, thence 
slightly involute ; upper boat-shaped, 3-nerved, keeled. Valve of 
lower floret small, hyaline, nerveless, of upper floret reduced to a 
hyaline upwards firmer linear stipe, passing into a perfect awn. 
Valvule 0. Lodicules 2, minute, glabrous. Stamens 3 ; anthers 
of § spikelets minute, about as long as broad, of $ larger, several 
times longer than broad. Stigmas slender, exserted laterally above 
the middle or near the tips of the spikelets, suberect. Grain obovoid- 
oblong, subobtuse, dorsally compressed ; embryo rather more than 
half the length of the grain. Pedicelled and barren sessile spikelets 
similar to the fertile sessile, but somewhat larger and usually differing 
in colour. Glumes equal or unequal, lower many-nerved. — An annual 
grass with usually branched many-noded bearded culms. Panicles 
of few to 15 usually nodding racemes, with long beards from the nodes. 
Species 1, in Tropical Afnc^ai^America. 
1. E. condylotricha K Stapf. Annual. Culms up to over 5 ft. 
high, usually geniculately ascending and often rooting from the 
lowest nodes, or more or less erect, slender, usually branched, terete, 
smooth. Leaf-sheaths terete, tight or the upper and those support- 
ing a branch slightly inflated, striate, glabrous or sparingly hairy, 
particularly along the upper margins and at the mouth, rarely softly 
hairy all over, always bearded at the nodes; ligules short, mem- 
branous, ciliate ; blades linear, long -tapering to a setaceous point, 
more or less attenuated towards and contracted at the base, up to 
1 ft. by 2-4 (rarely 5) lin., somewhat flaccid, green, usually hairy 
below and very sparingly so above, the hairs fine, soft, springing 
from minute tubercles, rarely glabrous, margins and nerves near 
them rough, midrib very slender, whitish above, primary lateral 
nerves 3-4 on each side, very fine. Panicles terminal and from the 
intermediate and upper branches, usually shortly exserted, the 
lateral often very scanty (sometimes reduced to a solitary raceme) ; 
primary axis filiform, up to \ in. long ; branches simple or the lowest 
sometimes very sparingly again divided, subcapillary, up to over 
J in. long, fiexuous, usually nodding or sometimes sigmatoid, glab- 
rous ; hairs at the nodes spreading, up to over 2 lin. long. Racemes 
fiexuous, rather loose when ripe, very readily breaking up down to 
the persistent barren basal portion, 1-2 in. long ; joints and pedicels 
of the fertile part of the raceme very similar, about 1 lin. long, densely 
and shortly ciliate, cilia equally long, transparent portion green, 
often at length turning black and then very conspicuously con- 
trasting with the white fringe of cilia. Fertile sessile spikelets 
oblong, pale to almost whitish, 2 lin. long. Lower glume minutely 
truncate, more or less hairy towards the base and on the sides, keels 
scaberulous, intracarinal nerves 4-5, ending below the hyaline tip, 
upper acute to subobtuse. Valve of lower floret ovate, about f lin. 
long, glabrous : awn 1-14 in. long. Anthers g-J lin. long. Grain 
