Ilyparrhenia.] clvii. gramine,® (Stapf). 
355 
Hackel distinguishes a variety nudiglumis which is said to differ from the 
type by its more rigid and glaucous leaves, longer exserted peduncles, and 
glabrous spikelets ; he bases it on a plant collected by Schweinfurth at Matamma 
and distributed under no. 1043, adding that other specimens issued under the 
same number are intermediate between it and the type ; the specimen of this 
number at Kew has distinctly pubescent fertile spikelets which are slightly 
smaller than those of the sample of H. confinis enumerated above, but the plant, 
which in all other respects recalls typical H. confinis , is very young and most of 
the racemes are still enclosed in their spatheoles. On the other hand, a sample 
of the same number in the British Museum collections is fully developed and 
is typical H. coniinis. Schweinfurth says of it that it grows gregariously, and 
attains a height of 10 ft. 
C 
/ 39. H. macrarrhena A $tap/. Annual, about 3 ft. high, with a few 
weak flowering branches from the base of the main culm. Culms 
erect, moderately stout, terete, glabrous except for a spreading beard 
up to 1J lin. long from below the insertion of the leaves, simple and 
2-noded below the panicle. Leaf-sheaths terete, smooth, glabrous, at 
length their upper part slipping from the culm and inrolled, produced 
at the mouth into narrow lanceolate auricles ; ligules oblong, obtuse, 
adnate to the auricles of the sheaths, up to 3 lin. long ; blades 
linear from a more or less narrowed but not petioloid base, up to 
9 in. by 4 lin., somewhat flaccid, glaucous, glabrous, very slightly 
rough with scabrid margins ; midrib slender, primary lateral nerves 
about 3 on each side, fine. Spatheate panicle leafy, of 6-8 mostly 
mixed distant or upwards approximate up to 4- (rarely 5-6-) rayed 
tiers ; lower compound rays up to \ ft. long, few-noded, bearing 
secondary tiers only, ultimate rays very slender, about 1 in. long ; 
subtending leaves and spathes except the uppermost with well- 
developed blades equalling or almost equalling the panicle. Spathe- 
oles cymbiform, lanceolate-acute or shortly acuminate, up to 1J in. 
by to almost 2 lin., s carious, glabrous, purple or violet with a glau- 
cous bloom, at length slightly inrolled from the margins ; peduncles 
slender, filiform, straight or arching,. 8-9 lin. long, beset upwards 
with fine spreading tubercle-based hairs, up to 3 lin. long. Racemes 
subcontiguous, laterally exserted from the spatheoles, at length 
epinastically reflexed, loose, up to over 10 lin. long, purplish, 2- 
awned per pair ; bases subequal, hardly \ lin. long, pubescent in 
the fork, the upper produced into an obscure auricle, densely 
bearded on the back ; pedicels filiform, ciliate, up to 2J lin. long. 
Homogamous pair of spikelets 1 at the base of the lower raceme 
only. Fertile spikelets oblong, flattened on the back, with a 
rather broad median groove, up to 6 lin. long including the callus, 
pale greenish throughout, pubescent ; callus slender, very acute, 
up to 2 lin. long, densely bearded, hairs whitish, uppermost hairs 
exceeding it almost by its own length. Glumes equal, very firmly 
chartaceous ; lower narrowly truncate, grooved, with its groove 
corresponding to a broad blunt ridge on the inner side, pubescent 
mainly in the groove and on the sides, 7-nerved with 1 nerve on 
each side of the groove and 2 nerves submarginally, nerves somewhat 
