238 
CLVII. GRAMINEA2 (Stapf). 
[Andropogon. 
below, sometimes pruinose below the lower nodes, glabrous, smooth, 
1-nodqd below the inflorescence. Leaf-sheaths firm, glabrous, 
smooth, the lowest 1-2J in. long, compressed, keeled, the upper 
looser, much longer and 'more or less terete ; ligules scarious, 
short, rounded or truncate, up to \ lin. long, glabrous ; blades linear, 
gradually passing into the sheath, subacute, 1J-6 in. long, j-1 lin. 
wide, usually tightly folded, firm, flexuous or straight, glabrous or 
with a few hairs at the mouth of the sheath, smooth, pale green, 
midrib very slender, primary lateral nerves 3-4, fine. Inflorescence 
consisting of a terminal pair or corymb of racemes augmented by 1-3 
distant simple branches or 2-rayed tiers ; rays filiform, erect, strict, 
internode 4-5 in. long ; spathes resembling the preceding leaves 
with short blades. Spatheoles very narrow, acute, 2-3 in. long, at 
length tightly inrolled, tinged with purple ; peduncles long- 
exserted, minutely bearded at the tips. Racemes 2-4 on a short 
common axis, about 1J in. long, silkily plumose, slightly flexuous 
or nodding, with short bare bases or the upper sessile ; joints 
filiform, slightly shorter than the spikelet, widened at the tip 
into a crenulate bearded cupule, densely hairy all over, hairs spread- 
ing, the uppermost up to 2J lin. long ; pedicels very similar, but the 
tips not cupulate. Sessile spikelet narrowly lanceolate, 3 lin. long, 
glabrous except for the small obtuse shortly bearded callus, more or 
less dull purplish. Glumes equal, firmly membranous, the lower 
2-mucronulate, 2-nerved and slightly sunk between the scaberulous 
keels, nerves close to the keels, thinning out downwards ; upper glume 
1- to 3-nerved, ciliate, shortly aristulate. Lower floret reduced 
to an oblong acute hyaline 2-nerved reversedly ciliate valve, 2j lin. 
long. Upper floret ^ ; valve narrowly oblong, 2-fid almost to the 
middle, 2J lin. long, hyaline, ciliate ; awn slender, 8-10 lin. long, kneed 
and twisted below, bristle twice as long as the smooth column ; 
valvule oblong, nerveless, ciliate upwards, 1 h lin. long. Pedicelled 
spikelet of the shape and size of the sessile but darker and neuter 
or more reduced, sometimes quite rudimentary ; glumes acutely 
acuminate, the lower up to 5-nerved, the upper shorter, 3-nerved ; 
valves of both florets, if present, narrowly oblong, acute, 1-nerved, 
ciliate. — A. ternatus, var. africanus , Rendle, Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 147 . 
Lower Guinea. Angola : dry, wooded pastures near Humpata, Welwitsch, 
2693 ! 
Mozambique Distr. Rhodesia : Mashonaland ; Inyanga District, Mundy ! 
Salisbury, Mundy I ) 
^ Var. ligulata , Stapf. Ligules produced, ovate, very firm, up to 14 lin. long ; 
blades much narrower at the base than the mouth of the sheath and often with- 
drawn from the ligule which stands up quite free and in direct continuation of 
the sheath. Pedicelled spikelets 6 . 
Mozambique Distr. Rhodesia : Mashonaland ; Charter District, Mundy ! 
The South American A. ternatus , Nees, has much denser racemes and smaller 
spikelets, but is in other respects very similar. 
