330 
clvii. GRAMiNEiE (Stapf). [Hyjparrhenia. 
internodes ; ligules very short, rounded or truncate, glabrous ; blades 
linear from a slightly or hardly narrowed base, long-tapering to 
a fine point from a few to over 12 in. by 2-6 lin., somewhat flaccid, 
flat, green, glabrous or very sparingly beset with fine spreading 
white hairs, slightly rough upwards and scaberulous along the 
margins, otherwise smooth ; midrib slender ; primary lateral 
nerves up to 4 on each side. Spatheate panicle interrupted, some- 
what decompound, up to 1-| ft. long ; tiers about 6, remote below, 
approximate upwards, the lower of 2-4 compound rays, the upper 
mixed and like the terminal secondary tiers up to 10-rayed, often 
forming balls of spatheoles and racemes ; compound rays up to 
6-noded with the upper internodes much shortened, slender to 
finely filiform, often flexuous or nodding ; ultimate simple rays 
J-| in. long, subcapillary if very numerous, laterally exserted from 
the spathe together with their linear-subulate prophylls ; lower 
and intermediate spathes with distinct often coloured blades, usually 
much shorter than the panicle ; secondary spathes much reduced, 
mostly scarious, often brightly coloured, with short blades, upwards 
rapidly assuming the shape of the spatheoles. Spatheoles perma- 
nently boat-shaped, usually more or less horizontal on the arched rays, 
broad-lanceolate in profile, acutely acuminate, about 1 in. long, 
1J-2J lin. wide, thinly scarious, greenish or often brilliantly red or 
orange coloured, glabrous ; peduncles finely filiform, 2-5 lin. long, 
with a spreading or deflexed beard below the tips and on the outer 
side, hairs white, 2-3 lin. long. Kacemes subcontiguous, laterally 
and vertically exserted from the spatheoles, or epinastically reflexed, 
4-5 lin. long, dense, 3-4- ’(rarely 5-) awned per pair, with very short 
densely bearded bases ; joints 1-3, filiform, \ lin. long, obliquely 
truncate, white-ciliate, cilia up to 1 lin. long ; pedicels similar but 
more slender and 1 lin. long without the cilia. Homogamous pair 
of spikelets 1 at the base of the lower raceme only, neuter, larger 
than the heterogamous. Fertile spikelets sublinear, 2J lin. long, 
pale ; callus \ lin. long, acute or subacute, shortly bearded. Glumes 
equal ; the lower very minutely truncate or subacute, thinly char- 
taceous, flat on the back or somewhat rounded when mature, margins 
narrowly involute below and inflexed towards the tips, forming 
short fine scabrid keels, sparingly and shortly hairy, delicately 
9-nerved ; upper lanceolate-oblong, obliquely truncate, keeled 
upwards, 3-nerved, eciliate or almost so. Lower floret reduced to 
a delicate hyaline almost ciliate or subciliate valve over 1 J lin. long. 
Upper floret stipitiform, with an obscure hyaline margin, eden- 
tate ; awn slender, 2-2J in. long, column brown, fulvously hispidu- 
lous ; valvule 0. Anthers J— 1 lin. long. Grain linear-oblong, 
subterete, slightly compressed on the back, 1J- lin. long. Pedicelled 
spikelets (of the heterogamous pairs) neuter, linear-lanceolate, acute, 
2J-3 lin. long, aristulate, glabrous ; lower glume minutely 2-dentate, 
produced into a fine bristle 2 lin. long, submembranous, subinvolute 
