236 
clvii. gramine^j (Stapf). [ Andropogon . 
blades linear, slightly tapering to an acute point, 5-9 in. by 1-1 f 
lin., folded or flat, rigid and firm, pale green-glaucous, glabrous 
or with a few scattered fine hairs, smooth below, scaberulous above, 
rough along the margins, midrib very slender, prominent below, 
lateral nerves many, close and prominent above ; subtending leaf 
with a spathaceous, at length tightly convolute, subherbaceous 
sheath, 5-6 in. long, and a rudimentary setaceous or foliaceous 
blade. Peduncles glabrous, except at the articulated and shortly 
bearded tips. Inflorescence a corymboid, often scanty panicle, 
3-5 in. long ; common axis glabrous or sparingly ciliate, smooth, 
bearded at the nodes, 1-3 in. long ; lowest branches undivided to 
f or nearly 1 in. Racemes 5-10, lf-3 in. long, flexuous, loosely 
hairy, very pale green ; joints linear, slender, very slightly thickened 
upwards, 2-2 J lin. long, more or less transparent along the middle line, 
truncate, loosely ciliate on both sides, cilia white, about 1 lin. long ; 
pedicels similar but more slender an d slightly longer . Sessile spikelets 
all heterogamous, loose between joints and pedicels, linear to linear- 
oblong in front view, subacuminate, 3-3 J lin. long ; callus short, 
obtuse, bearded from the very base, beard up to 1 lin. long. Glumes 
equal ; lower concave to deeply grooved on the back, with a hyaline 
tip, otherwise chartaceous to subchartaceous, glabrous, keels very 
slightly scaberulous upwards, intracarinal nerves 0 ; upper glume 
membranous, narrowly boat-shaped, almost straight on the back, 
shortly or acutely acuminate, sub-3-nerved, ciliate. Lower floret 
reduced to a linear-oblong obtuse faintly 2-nerved ciliate hyaline 
valve, about 2f lin. long. Upper floret ^ 5 valve very narrowly 
oblong, 2-fid to a quarter, with the lobes narrow and acute, ciliate, 
3-nerved below ; awn very fine, 5-6 lin. long, kneed at and twisted 
below the middle ; valvule a hyaline oblong scale up to 1 lin. long. 
Anthers If to almost 2 lin. long. Pedicelled spikelet lanceolate- 
acute, 3-3f lin. long ; lower glume membranous or submembranous 
with 2 close nerves in each keel and a somewhat prominent middle 
nerve ; upper glume 3-nerved, acutely acuminate ; valves of both 
florets subequal, 2f-2§ lin. long, delicately hyaline, ciliolate, of 
the lower faintly 3-, of the upper 1 -nerved and notched. 
Mozambique Distr. German East Africa : Kymbila ; Pololo Ridge, 6000 
ft., Stolz, 2389 ! 
^ 20. A. purpureus, Stapf. Perennial, compactly csespitose, with 
intravaginal innovations from a short oblique rhizome, with stout 
root-fibres, not much over If ft. high. Culms compressed below, 
about 2-noded, erect, simple, glabrous except upwards, smooth. 
Leaf-sheaths of innovations at the base of the culms strongly com- 
pressed and keeled, very firm and long-persistent, up to 5 in. long and 
f to almost f in. wide (when seen from the side), glabrous and very 
smooth below, more or less hairy to subvillous upwards, at least when 
