Andropogon.] clvii. gramineje (Stapf). 
257 
shining on the back, sparingly and shortly ciliate on the inner side, 
glabrous on the outer, tips subobliquely truncate ; pedicels similar, 
but oblong with a cuneate base. Sessile spikelets all heterogamous 
(or the lowermost imperfect), laterally much compressed, wedged in 
between joint and pedicel, linear in face view, glabrous ; callus very 
small, obscurely bearded. Glumes subequal, lower firmly char- 
taceous, 2-denticulate, deeply and narrowly grooved on the back, 
keels scabrid above, intracarinal nerves one near each keel ; upper 
glume boat-shaped, rather broad in profile, acutely acuminate, 
scaberulous on the keel upwards, sub-3-nerved, ciliate. Lower 
floret reduced to a narrow oblong subhyaline ciliate 2-nerved glume, 
2 lin. long. Upper floret $ : valve oblong, minutely 2-fid, ciliolate, 
back curved, awn about 3 lin. long, flexuous, bent at and twisted 
below the middle ; valvule linear-oblong, hyaline, eciliate, over 
1 lin. long. Pedicelled spikelet $ , oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 
reddish or dull purplish, 2 lin. long; lower glume subchartaceous, 
scaberulous on the keels with 7-9 raised close nerves ; upper thinner, 
very acute, 3-nerved, valves of both florets almost as long as the 
glumes, hyaline, ciliolate, of the lower 2-, of the upper 3-nerved ; 
anthers almost 1 lin. long. 
Upper Guinea. Northern Nigeria : Illah on the Niger, Miss Macleod ! 
39. A. tectorum, Schumach. in Schumach. & Thonn. Beskr. Guin. 
PI. 49. Perennial (?), 8-20 ft. high. Culms much and repeatedly 
branched upwards, all the ultimate branchlets flowering ; internodes 
terete, smooth, glabrous, more or less (usually shortly) exserted. Leaf- 
sheaths terete, tight, glabrous, produced into lanceolate erect auricles ; 
ligules membranous, laterally adnate to the auricles of the sheath, 
truncate, up to over 1 lin. long, ciliolate or eciliolate ; blades linear- 
lanceolate from a much attenuated base or the lower reduced at 
the base to the stout subterete midrib, long and finely acuminate, 
up to over 1J ft. long and over 1 in. wide, thin, green, glabrous or 
puberulous at the tips, more or less rough all over, scabrid to spinur 
lously ciliate along the margins, midrib quite rounded on the back 
and stout towards the base, primary lateral nerves up to 12, fine, 
distant. Inflorescence an often ample decompound spatheate 
panicle of up to 8 (or more ?) primary mostly mixed 4-13-rayed 
tiers, the compound rays up to 2 ft. long bearing 2-4 secondary 
mostly simple few- to many-rayed tiers ; spathes except the 
uppermost usually with well developed blades, glabrous, greenish ; 
rays (simple) very slender, filiform, fastigiate (within the tier), 
J-1J in. long. Spatheoles thinly herbaceous, membranous or 
scarious, pale dull green, sometimes suffused with purple, with short 
lanceolate to subulate dark green blades or bladeless, 1J-2J in. long, 
finally more or less tightly imolled ; peduncles often forming a knee 
with the rays, ultimately usually exserted and straight. Racemes 
FL. TROP. APR. VOL. IX. S 
