339 
tlyparrhenia.] clvii. gramine^ (Stapf). 
and rooting from the lower nodes (Welwitsch), simple at the base 
for a few internodes, then producing long mixed branches and 
passing above into a large compound panicle. Leaf-sheaths very 
firm, terete, tight, smooth and glabrous or sparingly hirsute in the 
upper part, produced into short triangular auricles at the mouth, 
the basal long-persistent ; ligules very short, scarious, truncate, 
glabrous, ciliolate, laterally adnate to the auricles of the sheaths ; 
blades linear from an equally wide or slightly constricted base, 
long-tapering to a very slender point, up to over 1 ft. by 5 lin., 
very firm, flat, reddish or purplish, faintly glaucescent on the under 
side, glabrous or frequently with some long scattered tubercle-based 
hairs at the base, slightly rough above, smooth below, scabrid along 
the margins. Spatheate panicle leafy, about 1J ft. by 2J-3J in., 
loose or more or less contracted, internodes 7-8, the lowest 3-5 in. 
long, the following gradually decreasing ; lowest primary branches 
undivided at the base or forming, like the following, scanty tiers of 
compound rays (up to over \ ft. long and up to 5-ray ed) ; upper 
nodes with mostly mixed up to 6-rayed tiers ; ultimate rays finely 
filiform, straight or recurved or curled and frequently exserted 
from the supporting spathe, |-J in. long ; lower and intermediate 
subtending leaves like the preceding ones, but with shorter sheaths, 
the upper more spathaceous, all with well-developed blades equalling 
or exceeding the panicle. Spatheoles often at a right angle to the 
ray, cymbiform, lanceolate, finely acuminate, 10-15 lin. by over 
1 lin., scarious, reddish or reddish-brown, glabrous, at length very 
loosely or hardly involute from the margin ; peduncles finely filiform, 
6-7 lin. long, permanently shorter than the spatheoles with a scanty 
beard of fine white hairs towards the tips, up to 3 lin. long and not 
tubercle-based. Eacemes pale reddish-brown, subcontiguous or 
slightly spreading, 5-6 lin. long, 5-6-awned per pair ; bases very short, 
densely bearded from the fork and the inner sides, tips obliquely 
truncate, obscurely anricled ; joints very slender, filiform, § lin. long, 
subobliquely truncate, shortly ciliate, cilia white ; pedicels very 
similar, rather longer. Homogamous pair of spikelets 1 at the base 
of the lower raceme only. Fertile spikelets linear- to lanceolate- 
oblong, 2-2J lin. long, pale with reddish tips ; callus very short, 
obtuse, shortly bearded. Glumes equal ; lower narrowly truncate, 
subchartaceous, more or less hairy, sometimes only minutely and 
sparingly pubescent, faintly 7-9-nerved, margins narrowly involute 
to over two-thirds, then indexed from the fine ciliolate keels ; upper 
submembranous, truncate, obscurely mucronate, 3-nerved, ciliolate 
upwards. Lower floret reduced to a hyaline linear-oblong truncate 
finely 2-nerved sparingly ciliolate valve. Upper floret ^ : valve 
stipitiform, 2-dentate, teeth narrow, glabrous ; awn slender, 1 in. 
long, minutely hirtellous ; valvule 0. Pedicelled spikelets neater, 
linear-lanceolate, 2-2J lin. long, reddish ; lower glume subherbaceous, 
9-nerved, shortly aristulate, glabrous or hairy, rigidly and minutely 
