Andropogon.] clvii. gramineje (Stapf). 239 
22. A. africanus, F ranch, in Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Autun, viii. 325 
(17 of reprint). Perennial ; culms over 3 ft. high, erect, 2-3-noded 
below the spatheate panicle. Leaf-sheaths tight, firm, quite glabrous, 
the lower keeled upwards, long-persistent, the intermediate and 
upper much shorter than the internodes ; ligules very short, ciliolate ; 
blades folded, linear from the base, shortly acute, up to 8 in. long 
and 2 lin. wide (when expanded), firm, glabrous, scaberulous upwards 
and on the margins, nerves fine, close. Inflorescence a lax scanty 
spatheate panicle about 3 ft. long, of 5-7 distant downwards mixed 
2-3-rayed tiers ; lower and intermediate spathes resembling the 
preceding leaves, except for the shorter blades ; rays filiform, erect, 
strict or more or less flexuous and arching, if compound the lower 
internode up to over 4 in. long. Spatheoles very narrow, acute, 
or bearing rudimentary subulate or mucroniform blades, 3-4 in. 
long, slightly purplish, at length tightly inrolled ; peduncles at length 
distinctly and often long-exserted. Racemes usually paired, rarely 
ternate, the basal 1 (or 2) sessile, 1 J-2 in. long, loose, flexuous ; joints 
filiform, slightly widened upwards and ending in a small dentate 
cup, 2 lin. long, ciliate, hairs white, up to \ lin. long ; pedicels very 
similar, more slender. Sessile spikelet narrow, linear-lanceolate, 
acute, 2-3 lin. long, dull purplish or yellowish ; callus very shortly 
bearded. Glumes subequal ; lower minutely 2-dentate, nerveless 
and depressed between the scaberulous keels ; upper very acute, 
sub-3-nerved, ciliate. Lower floret reduced to a narrow lanceolate 
acute 2-nerved reversedly ciliate valve, almost 2j lin. long. Upper 
floret $ : valve linear-oblong, 2-fid to about one-quarter, with 
acute lobes, awn very fine, 5-8 lin. long, column 2-2J lin. long, 
dark, bristle 3-5 lin. long. Anthers 1J lin. long. Pedicelled spike- 
let $ , lanceolate, 2-2 J lin . long, reddish or purplish ; lower glume 
produced into a short fine bristle, 3-5-nerved ; upper simikr, 3- 
nerved, ciliate ; valve of lower floret similar to the upper glume but 
hyaline, of the upper floret shorter, 1-nerved ; valvule oblong, 
nerveless, J lin. long. — Andropogon prolixus, Stapf in Bull. Soc. 
Bot. Fr. lx. (1908), Mem. 86, 102. 
North Central. French Congo : Fort Possel, Chevalier, 5365 ! 
Lower Guinea. French Congo : Plain of Mpilu, near Brazzaville, Thollon, 55 ! 
This is no doubt the A. glaucescens (from the same locality as Thollon, 55) of 
Bureau, in Comptes-rendus, 103 (1886), p. 7, but not of Kunth, which is a species 
of western South America of very similar habit but with much longer hairs on the 
joints and pedicels. Thollon’s specimen, which is the type of the species, has 
distinctly smaller spikelets (about 2 lin. long) than Chevalier’s, but represents 
probably a weak flowering state. A young incomplete specimen collected by 
Miss Macleod at Illah on the Niger probably also belongs here. 
f 23. A. linearis, Stapf. Perennial, compactly csespitose ; culms 
erect, up to over 3 ft. high, slender, about 3-noded below the in 
florescence, glabrous, smooth. Leaf -sheaths moderately firm, the 
basal more or less compressed, glabrous and smooth, often purple, 
