ARTHRATHERUM CILIATUM, Nob.
A R T H R A T H E R U M , Pal. Beauv., Agr.
A r is t id æ species, Linn., et auctor. recentior. plur. — A r th r a th e rum et S t ip a g r o s t is , Nees
a b Es. —A r is t id ® subgenus A r th r a th e r u m , et S t ip a g r o s t is (genus), Endl., Gen.
ARTHRATHERUM CILIATÜM, Nob. (i).
Aristida plumosa, Desf. ! Flor. Atl., vol. i , p. 109. (Exclusis synonymis Tournefortii et Linnæi.)
Aristida ciliata, Desf., in Schrad., Neues Journ., vol. 3, p. 255. — Del.! Flor. Ægypt., p. 3i ; tab. i 3, fig. 3. — Kunth,
Enum. Gram., p. rg5 (exclusa definitione Triniana), et Suppl., p. i 5o. — Dcsne! Flor. Sin., p. i 3. — Tausch, in Flora
(.Bot. Zeit.), 1836, p. 5o5 Ann. des Sciences Nat., 2e série, vol. 9, p. 127.
Aristida dan at a, Pal. Beauv., Agr., tab. 8,, fig. 10 (mala).
Aristida Schimpbri, Höchst, et Steud., in sched. plant. Arab. Schimperi, anno i 835 edit.
Dense cæspitosum; cauliculis sterilibus confertissimis abbreviates; caulibus florigenis parcioribus.
Nodis longe denseque barbatis. Foliis crassis, involutis, filiformibus, obtusis, intus tomentellis; va-
ginis apice longe barbato-ciliatis. Glumce valvis glabris suboequilongis, sublinearibus, emarginatis,
trinerviis. Flore breve stipitulato. Palea externa {infra medium articulala : articulo superiori calyptroe
conicæ instar involute, sensim in arislam attenuato) glabra, laevigata. Aristae {parte indivisa recta, brevi)
laciniis lateralibus capillaribus nudis lacinia media longe plumosa (basi nuda) duplo plusve breviori-
bus. Caryopsi ventre sulculo subobsoleto canaliculata.
Gramen perenne; caudice brevi, multicipite. R adix e fibris subfasciculatis elongatis (2-4 pollices longis) crassis simplicibus
tomentellis constans. Cauliculi aggregati, breves, dense foliosi, basi subbulbiformes. Caules parci pro cæspitis densitie,
1-1 1/2-pedales (adjecta inflorescentia), stricti v. geniculati, ereeti, simplices, graciles, medulla farcti, teretes, lævigati, obsolete
striatuli, 1-3-nodi (plerumque 2-nodi), nodulis (parum incrassatis) constricti et villis albidis plerumque patenti-v. de-
flexo-divergentibus elongatis confertissimis conspicue barbati, ad basin foliosi etvaginis obtecti; internodia plus minusve
exserta; articulus ultimus 4-8 pollices longus, filiformis, strictus, inennte floratione inclusus, postea exsertus. F olia glauces-
centia, rigida, plus minusve arcuata v. flexuosa, striata (sub lente subseptemnervia ; nervis subæqualibus), extus glabra sca-
briuscula, intus dense lanulosa, ad vaginam articulata ; radicalia conferta, plerumque 1/2-1 pollicem longa (interdum alia 2-3
pollices longa, alia breviora); caulina conformia radicalibus, modo brévia modo plus minusve elongata. Vaginæ nervosæ (sub-
septem-nerviæ), ecarinatæ, lævigatæ v. scabriusculæ, apice truncatæ v. rotundato-bilobulatæ et simili modo ac caulis nodi
barbato-ciliatæ, marginibus haud raro lanulosæ, cætero glabræ v. dorso sparse hirsutæ. Yaginæ foliorum radicalium distiche
imbricatæ, persistentes, chartaceæ, stramineæ, subcomplicatæ, subovatæ; infimæ aphyllæ v. folio abortivo mucroniformi
instructæ, sæpe acuminatæv. acutatæ. Vaginæ foliorum caulinorum herbaceæ, tubuloso-involutæ, arctæ. L ioula ad barbulam
brevem densam lanulosam annularem redacta. P ahicula 3-8 pollices longa, erecta (v. forsan nutans sub anthesi), stricta, laxa,
simplex, racemiformis; rhachis filiformis, continua, subsemi-teres, glabra, lævigata; ramuli solitarii v. ad paniculæ basin gemini,
alterni, distichi, subcapillares, stricti, erecti (per anthesin forsan patentes, fructiferi rhachi admoti), spiculas 2-7 pedi-
cellatas racemosim dispositas gerentes ; ramuli superiores gradatim inferioribus breviores et plerumque spiculis paucioribus
instructi. Pedicelli capillares, inæquales (alii gluma breviores, alii longiores), scabri, substricti, solitarii v. ad ramulorum
basin gemini, alterni, distichi, apice incrassati, fructiferi erecti. Gluma persistens, flore (ejus arista non computata) subdimi-
dio longior, straminea, v. stramineo et violaceo variegata. Yalvæ subæquales, membranaceo-chartaceæ, glabræ (sub lente extus
papillulis crebris punctiformibus conspersæ), trinerviæ (nervis filiformibus, subæqualibus, lateralibus paulo sub apice cum
medio confluentibus, medio apice evauescente), subnaviculares, plus minusve involutæ, nervo medio carinulatæ, apice emar- 1
(1) Arthratherum ciliatum, Nees ab Es., in Linnoea,yol. 7, p. 289, quoad stirpem capensem distincta videtur species.