Part 38
Annual grass with rather stout stems 1½-4½ ft. high, much branched, the branches forming ultimately a rather leafy, hairy panicle. Racemes cylindric, slender, in simple spatheate panicles; spikelets sessile, 1-flowered. Grains oblong, 1/12 of an inch long.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Fung Prov. (Jongol’s Post).
851 =Chasmopodium caudatum= _Stapf._
Annual grass up to 10 ft. high, rooting from the lower nodes. Racemes stout, cylindric, terminal, spike-like, up to 3 in. long, with a tail formed by the elongated glume of the terminal spikelet.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas).
852 =Rhytachne rottbœllioides= _Desv._
Perennial, densely tufted grass; stems 1-2½ ft. high, sometimes reddish in colour. Leaves long, narrow, especially when folded; racemes solitary, very slender, 3-6 in. long, wavy with longitudinal grooves; lower glumes of spikelets with transverse ridges.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas, Geneina.).
=R. triaristata= _Stapf._
Annual grass up to 1½ ft. high; stems in small tufts; leaves very narrow and folded, as above. Racemes similar to above; pedicelled spikelet represented by a terminal pair of unequal bristles.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Bongo land, Gir.).
853 =Imperata cylindrica= _Beauv._ =var. Koenigii= _Durand_ & _Schinz._ BINGBA—Zande.
Erect, perennial grass, up to 4 ft. high; leaf sheaths long, bearded at the nodes. Panicle spike-like, 2-8 in. long, cylindric, very dense, axis not breaking up into joints; spikelets surrounded by long white hairs, giving the whole a silvery appearance.
This grass is used for thatching. A bad weed.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Bongo land, Gir); Mongalla Prov. (Yei River).
854 =Saccharum spontaneum= _Linn._ =var ægyptiacum.= UM GHRUF (Fung)—Arab.
Tall, perennial, grass up to 12 ft. high, many jointed, silky below the panicles, and coated with wax below the joints. Panicle up to 1½ ft. long and 5 in. wide, dense, plumose, silvery; axis breaking up.
This grass is largely used for thatching; the reeds are made into arrow shafts.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma) Blue Nile Prov. Fung Prov. (Fazoghli, Jongol’s Post, Harun). Darfur Prov. (in wadis). Upper Nile Prov. (Malakal).
855 =Sorghum virgatum= _Stapf._
Annual, with slender stems branched from lower and middle nodes. Panicle narrow, very lax, ½ to over 2 ft. long, branches erect, the lowest up to 6 in. long, fine; sessile spikelets lanceolate, finely awned, deciduous with the pedicelled spikelet, pale straw colour, greenish in the upper portion, occasionally flushed with purplish brown.
Widely distributed in the northern Sudan, along river; also in Kordofan and Kassala Provinces.
=S. lanceolatum= _Stapf._
Annual, with slender stems up to 10 ft. high. Panicle 9-15 in. long, loose, more or less nodding. Sessile spikelets lanceolate, acutely acuminate, sparingly hairy to almost smooth, straw coloured, slightly greenish, on maturity turning bright red, finely awned. Pedicelled spikelets deciduous. Grain obovate oblong, compressed on the back, yellowish above, paler below, 1/8 by 1/12 in. in size.
White Nile Prov. Upper Nile Prov.
=S. sudanense= _Stapf._ GARAWI—Arab; KAWKAW—Zande.
Tall annual, up to 10 ft. high; panicle open, pyramidal, spreading, 6-12 in. long, erect, up to 6 in. wide at the base. Sessile spikelet lanceolate to elliptic oblong, rather acute, finely hairy (white hairs), straw-colour to light yellow, with dull green, striate tips when young. Awned. Pedicelled spikelets persistent. Grain oval, flattened, orange, 16 in. long.
Widely distributed in northern and central Sudan. A fodder grass of growing importance.
=S. halepense= _Pers._ ADDAR—Arab.
Perennial, up to 5 ft. high; stems slender, springing from strong creeping rhizomes. Panicle open and spreading, 6 in.-2 ft. long. Fertile spikelet at first hairy, later becoming smooth; pedicelled spikelets falling early. This grass resembles Sudan Grass, but differs in the rootstock being perennial. It is therefore not suited to cultivation.
Khartoum Prov.
=S. arundinaceum= _Stapf._ ADDAR, ADDAR ABU SHAR (Kordn.)—Arab.
Tall annual, stems up to 12 ft. high; panicle pyramidal, larger and denser than _S. sudanense_. Pedicelled spikelets falling, narrowed to an acute point, oblong, not minutely-stalked; with yellowish or reddish hairs.
A good fodder grass.
Kordofan (Khor Abu Habl). Mongalla Prov. (Yei River).
=S. verticilliflorum= _Stapf._
Annual, 4-8 ft. high. Leaf blades 1 in. broad, sometimes flushed with purple. Panicle up to 15 in. long, pyramidal; sessile spikelets ovate to ovate-lanceolate, shortly narrowed to a point, hairs whitish or purplish, awn up to ½ in. long.
Bahr El Jebel (Lat. 7° N.).
=S. abyssinicum= _Stapf._
Tall annual grass; leaves up to 2½ in. wide, panicle obovate lanceolate in shape, over 1 ft. long and about 4 in. wide; sessile spikelets ovate- oblong to elliptic-oblong, acute, with pale yellow hairs; awns up to 1 in. long.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat).
=S. æthiopicum= _Rupr._
Annual, slender stalks up to 10 ft. high. Leaves up to 1 ft. long and up to over 1 in. wide, usually strongly flushed with red or purple. Panicle narrow, linear to linear-oblong, up to over 1 ft. long, often secund. Sessile spikelet ovate to elliptic lanceolate, clay colour, often reddish below; pedicelled spikelet linear lanceolate, often bright red. Awn about 1 in. long.
Nubia (Sagadi between Suakin and Berber); Blue Nile Prov.; Fung Prov. (Jongol’s Post); White Nile Prov. (Jebel Arashkol).
=S. aterrimum= _Stapf._ ?BURRI—Arab (Schweinf).
Annual, with slender stalks up to 6 ft. high. Leaf sheath strongly blotched with blackish purple. Panicle narrowly oblong to ovate lanceolate. Sessile spikelet finally glossy jet black. Awn up to ¾ in. long, but sometimes reduced to short point.
Said to be cultivated in the South.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas).
=S. guineense= _Stapf._ =var. robustum.= VUNDE—Zande; BELL—Nuer.
Tall annual up to 7 ft. high; stems stout, wavy; leaf up to over 2 ft. by 3 in. Panicle oblong, mature spikelets gaping, exposing the grain, which is round and dark red in colour. Glumes also dark red, glossy.
Cultivated as a food crop in the Southern Sudan. A red dye is obtained from the leaf sheaths.
Mongalla, and Bahr El Ghazal Prov.
=S. Durra= _Stapf._ HAMAIZI, AKLIMAWI, and SAFRA KOHIA—Arab.
Tall annual grass up to 14 ft. high, leaf blades up to 15 in. by 2 in. Panicle much more compact than preceding, ovoid or ellipsoid; spikelets densely clustered; sessile spikelets rhombic-obovate in flower; mature grain subglobose with a broad, round, much exposed top, white, yellow, or reddish-yellow in colour.
_Types._ Aklimawi—glumes dull whitish with a brown band across just below the tip, more or less white hairy; grain with very broad and almost flattened yellow tops.
Safra Kohia—glumes more or less glossy without a dark band, straw yellow, frequently brown or blackish at the base, grains ivory colour.
Hamaizi—glumes more or less glossy without the dark band, burnt sienna colour to blackish, particularly below, grains reddish ochre.
Cultivated as a food crop.
White Nile Prov. (Geteina) and Blue Nile Prov.
=S. caudatum= _Stapf._
Tall annual up to 14 ft., stems stout. Panicle erect, oblong, moderately to very dense. Sessile spikelets elliptic oblong, subobtuse or minutely pointed, sparingly hairy. Grain very broad-elliptic to orbicular, exposed.
=var. angolensis.= Grain up to ⅛ in. long, broad obovate in outline, dark red, glume black. Panicle erect, oblong, rather small and compact.
Largely grown in Southern Sudan. Type KAKWA—Arab.
=var. Cerevisiæ.= Grain up to ⅛ in. long, broad obovate in outline, purplish red in colour, glume black, panicle umbrella-shaped owing to shortening of axis.
Grown in Southern Sudan for preparation of native beer.
=var. Schweinfurthii.= Grain over ⅛ in. long, roundish, white or ochre salmon in colour, panicle oblong with axis running through; pedicelled spikelets more or less persistent, up to ⅛ in. long, mature glumes straw colour to whitish.
Types ZERZEREIH, BAHANA—Arab.
=var. fragile.= Grain over ⅛ in. long, obovate, rather flattened, mature glumes white, brittle upwards. Panicle slightly open, branches long ascending. Pedicelled spikelets persistent.
Type RUBAI (Sennar)—Arab.
=var. umbonatum.= Panicle as var. _fragile_, grain much flattened with a central boss, apricot colour, lower glume transversely constricted. Pedicelled spikelets persistent.
Type LAGHRAB EL HOMAR (Gezira)—Arab.
=var. rutilum.= Panicle obovate, rather open, mature glumes straw coloured, tinged with red, grain ochre red to salmon on the top, paler below. Pedicelled spikelet persistent.
Type HEGARIG—Arab.
=var. atrolutescens.= Panicle obovate, somewhat irregular and loose, branches long and flexuous. Mature glumes black, grains sulphur or maize yellow to ochre buff, large, flattened at the sides. Pedicelled spikelet persistent.
Type SAFRA, HEGIRI, ABU GARADA, SHABAT AHMAR—Arab.
=var. gibbum.= Panicle rather oblong, fairly dense; pedicelled spikelets readily deciduous; mature glumes black; grain ochre, salmon colour, terracotta or Indian red, more or less swollen on one side.
Type WAD MASNAB, EL TORAK, ABU GARADA—Arab.
=var. Feterita.= Panicle usually oblong, rather narrow, moderately open to dense, glumes glossy black, grain white with an enamelled appearance.
Type FETERITA.
=var. Gassabi.= Panicle dense, broadly elliptic to obovate. Glumes white, margins, often hairy. Grain creamy globose, rather large.
Type GASSABI.
=S. papyrascens= _Stapf._
Tall annual up to 12 ft. high. Panicle oblong to oblanceolate in outline, moderately dense, branches long, flexuous. Mature glumes transparent, papery and brittle, breaking irregularly at the tips; grain shorter than the glumes and completely enclosed by them, or partly exposed where glumes are broken, obovate in shape, compressed, dull white or orange.
=var. vesiculare= _Stapf._ Mature spikelets somewhat inflated, pale straw colour, rather hairy, grain white.
Type FIKI EL MOSTAHI—Arab.
=var. lateritium= _Stapf._ Mature spikelets strongly flushed with brick red, grain orange, glume very brittle upwards.
Type GADDUM EL TEITAL—Arab.
Blue Nile Prov.; Fung Prov.
=S. Melaleucum= _Stapf._ SHELSHELEIH—Arab.
Tall annual. Panicles large, oblong, rather one-sided, somewhat loose; branches slender, nodding, purple; grain white, as long as the rather brittle, glossy black, glumes; glumes hairy upwards.
Blue Nile Province.
=S. Ankolib= _Stapf._ ANKOLIB—Arab.
Tall annual. Panicle oblong, contracted, somewhat loose when mature, branches not very long, stout and branched, sessile spikelets very acute, thinly leathery below and sometimes separated from the papery upper portion by a transverse line. Grain enclosed, almost round in outline.
The canes contain sugar and are chewed. Cultivated. Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Blue Nile Prov. (Sh. Talha); Fung Prov. (Roseires).
=S. cernuum= _Host._ DURA SEIFI—Arab.
Tall annual up to 14 ft. Panicle eventually recurved, ovoid, very compact, lower glume leathery at the base, whitish hairy all over. Grain exposed or protruding, dull white, large. Cultivated.
Northern Sudan; Kassala Prov.
=S. purpureo-sericeum= _Aschers._ & _Schweinf._
Erect annual up to 3 ft. high; leaves up to 9 in. long by ⅓ in. wide. Panicle up to 8 in. long, very loose; sessile spikelets lanceolate, acuminate; lower glume wholly leathery, dark brown to black except at the tip, with a band of soft brown hairs at the base. Awn up to 2 in. long twisted to the middle.
Kassala Prov. (along eastern borders); Fung Prov. (Jongol’s Post).
=S. dimidiatum= _Stapf._
Perennial about 2 ft. high. Panicle very narrow and small. Sessile spikelet lanceolate acuminate, lower glume firmly coriaceous up to half way, then abruptly thinner, the coriaceous portion turning glossy brown or black. Awn slender, about 1 in. long.
Fung Prov. (Jongol’s Post).
=S. bipennatum= _Stapf._
Annual up to 4 ft. high. Panicle narrow, oblong, up to 7 in. long, lax; racemes reduced to a single spikelet accompanied by two slender pedicels. Glumes coriaceous, brown, the lower whitish at the base, silkily hairy. Awn about 1½ in. long, kneed at, and twisted below the middle.
Bahr El Ghazal (Jurland).
856 =Vetiveria nigritana= _Stapf._
Tall, densely tufted perennial grass, with branching rootstocks and spongy aromatic roots, up to 6 ft. high. Panicle up to over 1 ft. long, with long slender whisk-like branches. Sessile spikelets very narrowly lanceolate, dull green or somewhat purplish with a small bristle-like awn.
Red Sea Prov. (Erkowit); Upper White Nile Prov. (Meshra El Zeraf); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas, Bongo, and Addai).
857 =Chrysopogon Aucheri= _Stapf._ =var. quinqueplumis= _Stapf._
Tufted perennial grass up to 2 ft. high, with very slender stems, panicled, narrow, 2-4 in. long, loose with the tips of the branches bearded; racemes reduced to 1 or 2 joints. Spikelets hairy, greyish; awn also hairy, up to 1 in. long, yellow in colour.
Nubia (between Suakin and Berber, Wadi Læmeb and Wadi Derumkad, Long. 35° 25′ E.).
858 =Eremopogon foveolatus= _Stapf._
Tufted grass up to 2 ft. high (often under 1 ft.); leaves greyish, narrow. Panicle narrow, up to 3 in. long, spikelets pinkish, surrounded by white silky hairs. Awn up to 1½ in. long, kneed, brown.
Red Sea Prov. (maritime plain and up to 3,000 to 4,000 ft. Soturba range, Lat. 21° N.).
859 =Arthraxon serrulatus= _Hochst._
Perennial grass up to 2 ft. high; stems from a short rhizome. Leaves broadly lanceolate, 1-2 in. long, ½-¾ in. wide, with cartilaginous margins, hairy, particularly along the edges and on the sheaths. Racemes 2-5, slender, greenish or suffused with purple, 1¼ to over 2 in. long, on a short common axis; sessile spikelet narrow with small short teeth along the edges. Fertile valve awned from low down on the back. Awn up to over ½ in., fine, kneed about the middle.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma).
860 =Amphilophis pertusa= _Stapf._
Perennial grass up to 2½ ft. high, stems slender. Panicles digitate, up to 2½ in. long, branches up to 10; racemes whitish or dull purplish with silky hairs. Sessile spikelets pale green, with a pronounced pit on the glume, awned; the awn forming a continuation of the valve, 1 in. long, kneed at the middle.
Mongalla Prov. (Yei River, Rejaf road).
=A. insculpta= _Stapf._ =var. vegetior= _Stapf._
Similar to above but with 1-3 pits on the glume of pedicelled spikelets; sessile spikelets usually olive green or flushed with purple. Leaves rough and reed-like.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Atbara River (Gerba).
861 =Dichanthium annulatum= _Stapf._ MALHI (Meshra El Zeraf)—Arab.
Very tufted perennial grass up to over 3 ft. high, stems many noded. Leaves narrow, strongly ribbed. Inflorescence digitate, racemes 3-9, thinly hairy with long silky hairs, pale or flushed with purple; sessile spikelets of the lowest 1-3 pairs staminate or neuter and awnless; awn of fertile valve a continuation of the valve, nearly 1 in. long.
Red Sea Prov. (near Tokar, Port Sudan, Wadi Yumga, Wadi Læmeb); Kordofan Prov. (Abu Garad); Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Khartoum Prov.; Blue Nile Prov. (Sennar).
862 =Schizachyrium urceolatum= _Stapf._
Annual up to 1 ft. high, stems slender; leaves very narrow, reddish, the upper spathe-like, enclosing the racemes. Spikes solitary, joints and pedicels short, thickened, with a large slipper-like appendage. Awn about ¾ in. long, from the hollow of the 2-toothed fertile valve, which is divided to beyond the middle. Racemes smooth, except for a silky tuft of hairs at the base of the joint. Pedicelled spikelets not larger than the sessile.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma).
=S. exile= _Stapf._
Annual, stems in bundles, from ½ to 2 ft. high. Leaf blades eventually pinkish, very narrow, tapering to a fine point, uppermost spathe-like, enclosing the racemes, which are conspicuously hairy. Joints up to ¼ in. long, club-shaped, with a oblique minutely toothed membranous appendage, otherwise as _S. urceolatum_.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); White Nile (J. Arashkol); Kordofan Prov. (El Obeid); Darfur Prov. (El Fasher); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas Zariba).
=S. Schweinfurthii= _Stapf._
Perennial grass up to 2 ft. high, leaves narrow, tapering. Uppermost spathe-like. Inflorescence simpler and much less tufted than the preceding. Fertile valve shortly two toothed, joints very narrow. Sessile spikelets very close, almost smooth, awned.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur, Tokuto River).
863 =Diectomis fastigiata= _Kunth._
Annual, up to 5 ft. high; stems slender, kneed at the base; leaves, narrow, tapering to a fine bristle-like point. Inflorescence enclosed in a spathe, branches 2 or 3. Pedicelled spikelets larger than sessile, surrounded by long, soft, white hairs, very different from the sessile. Awn 1¼-2 in. long, kneed at the middle, twisted, yellow and brown.
Fung Prov.; Darfur Prov. (Jebel Marra 6,000 to 8,000 ft.).
864 =Andropogon tenuiberbis= _Hack._
Tall perennial grass up to 15 ft. high. Leaf blades narrow, over 1 ft. long, tapering to a fine point. Inflorescence a loose spatheate panicle up to 2½ ft. long, with about 6, 2-4-rayed tiers. All sessile spikelets alike, awns from the sinus of the 2-divided fertile valve, joints and pedicels very narrow and slender.
Bahr El Ghazal (Jur, Geneina, Jur Ghattas, Kutshuk Ali’s Zariba).
=A. linearis= _Stapf._
Perennial up to 3 ft. high, leaves very narrow, sheaths often purplish. Inflorescence small, partly enclosed in a spathe, awn of sessile spikelet stout.
Darfur Prov. (Jebel Marra, 8,000 ft.).
=A. schirensis= _Hochst._
Perennial grass 3-10 ft. high, leaf blades narrowed, tapering, often 1½ ft. long. Inflorescence consisting of stout racemes in pairs, with compressed, long awned (as above) spikelets.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Khor Utrab); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas).
=A. gayanus= _Kunth,_ =var. genuinus= _Hack._
Tufted perennial grass, from a few feet to 10 ft. high. Leaves narrow, tapering, leaf sheath often wider than the blade, forming rounded shoulders at the junction. Inflorescence consisting of racemes in pairs; spikelets with long, soft, white hairs. Awns ½-¾ in. long. Joints and pedicels hairy on one side.
Fung Prov. (Jongol’s Post); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas).
=var. squamulatus= _Stapf._ As above, but joints and pedicels hairy on both margins. Awn ¾-1¼ in. long.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Upper Nile Prov. (Sobat River, Nasser); Kordofan (Rahad); Darfur (Jebel Marra, 9,300 ft.).
=var. bisquamulatus= _Hack._ ABU RIKHIS—Arab.
As above, joints and pedicels hairy on one or both margins, spikelets more or less hidden by silky hairs.
White Nile Prov. (J. Arashkol); Kordofan Prov. (Obeid and between Um Ruaba and Eilafun); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Bongoland, between Uringama and Ngoli).
865 =Cymbopogon sennarensis= _Chiov._
Densely tufted perennial up to 3 ft. high, often reddish in colour; leaves narrow, up to 8 in. long. Inflorescence a spatheate obovoid panicle, formed of more or less dense balls of racemes which are in pairs and each surrounded by a spathe. The sessile spikelets at the base of the spike are different from the rest; the lower glume of female spikelets with 4 nerves. Awn only ¼ in. long, bristle-like, spikelet surrounded by long, fine, white hairs.
Fung Prov.
=C. proximus= _Stapf._ MAHAREIB—Arab.
Similar to above, but spatheate panicle narrow, long, much interrupted below; the lower glume of the fertile spikelets with 2 short nerves. Awn a fine straight bristle up to ¼ in. long.
Red Sea Prov. (sea coast, Wadi El Omari); Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Khartoum Prov. (Jebel Royan, Omdurman and Soba); Blue Nile Prov.; Fung Prov. (Abu Naama); Kordofan Prov. (Jebel Abu Sunun); Darfur Prov. (E. of El Fasher and Kulme).
=C. near C. proximus= _Stapf._
Darfur Prov. (Kulme).
=C. nervatus= _Chiov._ NĀL. HAMAREIB, MARHABEIB, MAHAREIB, and TEITALIB (Kord)—Arab; SHIREIH (Dilling)—Nuba; NGEINY (Ying)—Nuer.
Annual (?) grass up to 3 ft. high. Panicle narrow, spatheate, similar to previous species, but lower glume of fertile spikelet with conspicuous long oil streaks on both ends of the groove.
This grass is much used for thatching. It contains a volatile oil which has been examined by the Govt. Chemist; vide W.T.R.L. report, 1921.
Widely distributed in plains of Central Sudan.
=C. excavatus= _Stapf._
Perennial 2-4 ft. high. Inflorescence smaller and more open than above, also darker in colour, oil streaks obscure. Base and adjacent pedicel of sessile raceme joined together.
Khartoum Prov. (Soba); Blue Nile Prov. (Dinder River).
=C. giganteus= _Chiov._ MARAIRA (Meshra El Zeraf)—Arab; NŪR (Meshra El Zeraf)—Dinka.
Tall perennial up to 8 ft. high. Inflorescence frequently over 1 ft. long, very open, spatheate, and clustered as preceding; joints and pedicels densely hairy; base and adjacent pedicel of sessile raceme joined; oil streaks confined to upper portion of the lower glume of the sessile spikelet. Awn up to ½ in. long, bent about the middle.
Kordofan Prov. (Megenas and J. Kōn); Upper White Nile Prov. (Meshra El Zeraf to Hillet Kaka); Bahr El Ghazal Prov.
866 =Hyparrhenia finitima= _Stapf._
Perennial grass up to 6 ft. high. Inflorescence long, narrow, open, reddish. Racemes in pairs, dense, enclosed in a narrow, pointed spathe with reddish hairs. Awns slender, about 1¾ in. long, bent, twisted, and hairy.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma), Khor Utrub.
=H. rufa= _Stapf._ BURNUS (Rahad River)—Arab.
Perennial grass up to 8 ft. long, tufted. Spatheate panicle large, very lax; peduncles of racemes up to 2½ in. long, protruding from the tightly rolled spatheoles; spikelets reddish with reddish short hairs. Awns ¾ to 1¼ in., hairy below the bend. Used for thatching and fencing.
Fung Prov. (Jongol’s Post and Zamarka); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Bongo land, Kulongo Jm, Jur Ghattas); Darfur Prov. (Kulme); Bahr El Jebel (Lat. 5° N.).
=H. hirta= _Stapf._ HAMERAI Arab.
Perennial grass up to 3 ft. high, densely tufted; leaf blades very narrow, from a few inches to 12 in. long. Spatheate panicle up to 12 in. long, racemes scanty and far apart. Spatheoles very narrow, reddish, tapering to a long fine point; racemes with white hairs. Awns up to 1 in. long, dark brown.
Nubia (J. Waratab; Wadi Arab, between Suakin and Berber); Red Sea Prov. (Erkowit, near Khor Ashat); Kordofan Prov. (Khor Abu Habl).
=H. Barteri= _Stapf,_ =var. calvescens= _Stapf._
Annual up to 1 ft. high. Leaves up to 1 ft. by 1/5 in. Spatheate panicle rather dense, with long slender branches bearing fan-shaped groups of spatheolate racemes. Awns 2 per raceme pair, up to over 2 in. long, shortly hairy.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas); Mongalla Prov. (Gigging).
=H. Ruprechtii= _Fourn._
Perennial, up to 10 ft. high, forming dense clumps. Leaves very narrow and tapering. Spatheate panicle erect, narrow and interrupted, spatheoles narrow, pointed, up to 3 in. long, reddish; fertile spikelets over ¼ in. long, oblong. Awns about 3 in. long.
Used for thatching and fencing.
Bahr El Jebel (Shambe and Madi).
=H. macrolepis= _Stapf._
Annual 5-8 ft. high. Inflorescence similar to _H. Ruprechtii_, but fertile spikelets larger (nearly ½ in. long), and awns up to 5 in. long.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas).
=H. pseudocymbaria= _Stapf._ ANSORA (River Rahad)—Arab.
Annual up to over 3 ft. high, showy by reason of the boat-shaped spatheoles, which remain after maturity, and enclose the racemes; these spatheoles are vividly coloured from bright red to yellowish brown. Awns up to 2½ in. long with brown silky hairs.
Fung Prov. (Roseires and Jongol’s Post); Darfur Prov. (J. Marra, 7,500 ft. and Kulme, 3,600 ft.).
=H. cymbaria= _Stapf._
Tall handsome grass, perennial, 6-20 ft. high; leaf blades very narrow. Spatheate panicle often very large and dense, spatheoles boat-shaped, coloured vivid red or purple, racemes protruding from the spatheoles; spikelets hairy, coloured green and purple; awns about ½ in. long.
Darfur (Jebel Marra, 8,000 ft.); Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Niamniam land; Atasilli Brook).
=H. variabilis= _Stapf._
Tall handsome perennial grass up to 10 ft. high. Inflorescence over 1 ft. long, narrow, fairly open, very similar to preceding, but peduncles rather larger (¼ in.) and sessile spikelets up to nearly ½ in. long, awns up to 1¼ in. long.
Mongalla Prov. (Yei River).
=H. confinis= _Anders._
Annual grass, 3 ft. and over high. Inflorescence long, very loose and open, more or less leafy. Spatheoles boat-shaped, up to 2 in. long, narrow and tapering. Peduncles about equalling the spatheoles. Awns up to 3 in. long, stout and twisted. The whole plant light reddish brown.
Kassala Prov. (Gallabat, Matamma); Darfur Prov. (Kulme).
=var. pellita= _Stapf._ Leaves more rigid and narrower than in the type.
Kassala Prov. (Matamma, Gallabat).
=H. macrarrhena= _Stapf._
Handsome annual grass about 3 ft. high. Inflorescence long, very open. Spatheoles purplish, up to 1½ in. long, narrow, boat-shaped; spikelets light yellow, hairy; peduncle much shorter than spatheoles. Awns stout, about 3 in. long. Joints of stem with a spreading beard.
Bahr El Ghazal (Bongo land).
=H. diplandra= _Stapf._
Tall perennial, up to over 12 ft. high, densely tufted from a short rhizome. Spatheate panicle large, narrow, loose, often over 2 ft. long. Spatheoles very narrow, 1-1¼ in. long, edges finally inrolled, purplish or brown in colour. Long spikelets in tufts on long slender peduncles. Awns finely hairy, 1½-2½ in. long.
Bahr El Ghazal Prov. (Jur Ghattas, Bongo, Tonj River); Mongalla Prov. (Yei River).
=H. cornucopiæ= _Stapf._