NOYITATES AFRICANAE 
81 
Stems scattered, simple, straight, rigid at the base, slender in the 
upper parts, terete, smooth, 6—10 dm. high; leaf-sheaths closely con- 
'volute, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, subulate-aristate, smooth, coria- 
ceous, membranous and lacerate at the upper margins, purplish, 
1*5 — 2-5 cm. long; male spikelets numerous, in panicled cymes; cymes 
rather lax, more or less secund and pendidous, in pairs or several, rarely 
solitary, at each of the upper nodes, mostly 3-5 — 5 cm. long, together 
forming a plume-like inflorescence 1 — 2 dm. long; spikelets oblong- 
ovate, obtuse, 6 — 8-flowered, about 5 mm. long; spathes ovate, acumi- 
nate, mucronate, with the midrib prominent on the apical half, coria- 
ceous in the lower half, white-membranous in the upper, 2 — 3 mm. long; 
barren bracts 1 — 2; fertile bracts loosely convolute, ovate, acute or 
obtuse, mucronulate, membranous at the margins, 3 — 4 mm. long; 
flowers subsessile, ovate, obtuse, 2 mm. long; outer perianth-segments 
linear-lanceolate, acute, cartilaginous, glabrous, reddish; the lateral 
obtusely keeled; the anterior dorsally rounded; inner segments oblong- 
lanceolate, obtuse, membranous, reddish, slightly shorter than the 
outer; female spikelets many, in spicate cymes, lanceolate-ovate, acute, 
1-flowered, 6 — 8 mm. long, forming a narrow inflorescence 6 — 10 cm. 
long; spathes convolute at the base, spreading in the upper part, 
ovate, acuminate, coriaceous in the lower part, white-membranous and 
lacerate in the upper, filiform-aristate, 7 — 10 mm. long; barren bracts 
3 — 4, closely convolute, ovate, acute, mucronate, cartilaginous, with 
white-membranous margins, 3 — 4 mm. long; the fertile bract similar, 
but usually smaller; flowers subsessile, lanceolate, acute, exserted 
beyond the bracts, 4-5 — 6 mm. long; outer perianth-segments alike, 
oblong, acute, dorsallv rounded, cartilaginous, glabrous, reddish ; inner 
segments ovate- oblong, acute, cartilaginous, slightly shorter than the 
outer; ovary 3-celled, obtusely 3-lobed, ovate or globose; styles 3, 
distinct, densely plumose to the base; capsule 3-seeded; seeds smooth. 
Cape Province: South-Western Region; Caledon Div., Ivoude River, 
Schlechter, 10461, <J ! 10462,?! Uniondale Div., Uniondale, F. Paterson, 
3009, d ! Uniondale Road, Tugwell in Herb. Bolus, 14288, d ! F. Pater- 
son, 3013, ? ! Steytlerville, F. Paterson, 19, d ! South-Eastern Region : 
Grahamstown Div., mountains near Glrahamstown, MacOwan, 1361, d ! 
Grahamstown, M. Daly and M. Sole, 36, d ! G. White, 34, d ' 
This species is chiefly distinguished from its ally, R.foliosus, N.E.Br., 
in having simple stems, shorter inflorescence and smaller spike- 
lets. 
The more or less secund and plume-like male inflorescence might 
well be mistaken for that of a Thamnochortus, but the spikelets are 
smaller than any known species in that genus. 
