Diectomis.'] clvii. gramineje (Stapf). 207 
* confusion left that it seems best to date the establishment of Diectomis from 
Kunth’s article quoted above and to adopt his definition of it which at any rate 
is supported by Beauvois’ reference to Andropogon fcistigiatus as the typical 
representative of the genus. 
1. D. fastigiata, Kunth in Humb. & Bonpl. Nov. Gen. el Spec. 
i. 193, t. 64, excl. syn. Beauv. Annual. Culms up to over 5 ft. 
high, fascicled, erect or geniculate at the base, terete, smooth, 
glabrous, or the upper portions of the internodes finely pube- 
rulous, branched almost from the base or from the third or 
fourth node, all the branches flowering. Leaf-sheaths lax, more 
or less compressed, keeled, glabrous, smooth, the upper tighter, 
terete, all glabrous and smooth ; ligules ovate-lanceolate, acute, 
scarious, nerved, 3-5 lin. long, glabrous ; blades narrowly linear, 
long-tapering to a setaceous point, the lowest up to over 1 ft. long, 
1-1 4 lin. wide (when flattened out), pale green, rather flaccid, gla- 
brous and smooth below, finely scaberulous or minutely puberulous 
above, margins scabrid, midrib white and rather broad above, slender 
below ; lateral nerves very fine, 2-3 on each side, more prominent. 
Inflorescence more or less fastigiate, formed by the solitary 2- or 
3-nate simple or sparingly divided erect or suberect and frequently 
flexuous and filiform flowering branches ; spathe linear-lanceolate 
or narrowly linear, acuminate, bladeless, turning reddish, 2-3 in. 
long, glabrous ; peduncles almost as long as or at length longer 
than the spathe, pubescent upwards, slightly widened into the very 
obliquely cupula]/ tip. Racemes l|-2 in. long, rather stout on 
account of the enlarged pedicelled spikelet, reddish, villous, very 
fragile, 12-15-jointed ; joints narrowly cuneate from a linear base, 
1J lin. long, densely ciliate on both sides, with the uppermost hairs 
up to 1 lin. long, otherwise glabrous, tip 2-toothed ; pedicels very 
similar. Sessile spikelet including the callus 2-2 J lin. long, pale 
green, glabrous or more usually hairy. Glumes subequal ; lower 
linear, subacuminate, 2-denticulate, sides greenish, 3-nerved, narrowly 
indexed, rounded, passing in the acumen into scaberulous keels, 
with the narrow sunk middle portion membranous and nerveless, 
usually hairy upwards ; upper glume shorter, with a fine bristle, 
up to 5 lin. long, from between the teeth, long-ciliate. Lower 
floret reduced to a linear-oblong acute hyaline 2-nerved ciliolate 
valve. 2 lin. long. Upper floret g , slightly shorter than the lower : 
valve oblong, 2-dentate, ciliolate ; awn 1J to almost 2 in. long, 
kneed at the middle, column brown, twisted, smooth, very minutely 
scaberulous, bristle yellowish : valvule linear-lanceolate, nerveless, 
glabrous. Anthers almost 1 lin. long. Pedicelled spikelet barren, 
very different from the sessile. Glumes very unequal ; lower 
obliquely obovate-oblong, with a fine bristle from between the 
mucros, up to 5 lin. long and 1J lin. wide, thinly chartaceous, very 
flat, green tinged with purple or quite purplish or reddish, many- 
nerved, margins rigidly ciliolate ; upper glume with a broad rounded 
i 
