189 
Schizachyrium.\ clvii. gramine^ (Stapf). 
branches from the lower nodes and not branched from the middle 
nodes, rather stout, compressed, glabrous and smooth, 3 to over 
5 ft. high including the panicle. Leaf -sheaths glabrous, compressed 
keeled, as long as or slightly longer than the internodes, but early 
slipping oh the latter, more or less exposing them, glabrous, smooth, 
brown ; ligules membranous, very short, truncate, ciliolate ; blades 
linear, from a suddenly much contracted round base, very shortly 
acute or subobtuse and apiculate, 1J-3J in. long, 1-4 lin. wide, at first 
folded, then flat, glabrous, except for some occasional pubescence 
above the ligule, smooth apart from the scabrid margins, midrib very 
slender, raised below, lateral nerves numerous, very fine. Inflores- 
cence up to 1 ft. long, often much compound, lax ; lower primary 
branches solitary, the following paired or the upper ternate to 
quaternate, divided again with the branchlets unequal, in twos, 
threes, or fours, secondary branches with internodes 2-3 in. long, 
ultimate raceme-bearing branchlets of 2 internodes, the upper of 
which (the sheathed peduncle) spreads at length more or less hori- 
zontally ; spathes very narrowly lanceolate to linear, acute, glabrous, 
scabrid on the keels, the ultimate 7-10 lin. long ; peduncles enclosed 
in the spathe or at . length shortly exserted, slightly thickened up- 
wards, glabrous, tips minutely cupular. Eacemes 2J-3 in. long, 
very slender, 7-9 -jointed ; joints slender, cuneate-linear, 1J lin. 
long, with a 2-toothed appendage, glabrous and smooth except on 
the slightly scaberulous margins ; pedicels sublinear, slightly wider 
above, flat, as long as the joints or very shortly exceeding them, 
without an appendage, glabrous. Sessile spikelet lanceolate-linear, 
slightly convex on the back, including the very short callus which is 
minutely bearded on the back and bears a tuft of long hairs on the 
face, about 2 lin. long. Glumes equal ; lower more or less 2-dentate 
or minutely truncate, thinly chart aceous, finely scaberulous, inflexed 
margins very narrow, keels scaberulous above, intracarinal nerves 
3-5 ; upper glume obliquely linear in profile, acute, membranous, 
1- nerved. Lower floret reduced to a linear-oblong hyaline faintly 
2- nerved and ciliolate valve, as long as the glumes. Upper floret $ ; 
valve almost as long as that of the lower floret, 2-fid almost to the 
base, segments linear, acute, eciliolate ; valvule 0. Anthers f-1 lin. 
long. Pedicelled spikelet reduced to an oblong glume, J lin. long, 
ending in a bristle up to 1 lin. long. — Andropogon brevifolius, var. 
platyphyllus, Franch. Contr. FI. Congo Fran£. 16. A. brevifolius (?), 
Pilger in Schlechter, Westafr. Kautschuk-Exped. 267. A. brevi- 
folius, De Wild. & Durand, PI. Gillet. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 2me ser. 
i. 60 ; Th. & Hel. Durand, Syll. FI. Congol. 624 (partly), not of Sw. 
Upper Guinea. French Guinea : Baffing Valley, Pobeguin, 1800 ! 
North Central. Dar Banda : Konkouru River, Chevalier, 6572 ! 
Lower Guinea. French Congo : Mpila Plain, near Brazzaville, Thollon, 46 ! 
Ogowe, Thollon, 789 ! Belgian Congo : Stanley Pool, Schlecter, 12514 : Kisantu, 
Gillet, 847 ! 848 ! 
