The _leaf-blades_ are linear, finely acuminate, slightly broadened and rounded at the base, keeled, the upper surface scaberulous and with a few scattered long hairs especially towards the base, smooth or slightly scaberulous below, 1 to 9 inches by 1/12 to 1/4 inch. The _inflorescence_ consists of digitately arranged spikes 1-1/2 to 4 inches long on a peduncle which is sometimes 15 inches long. _Spikes_ are stout, purple-tinged, three to seven and even nine in some specimens, shortly stalked, the base of the stalk being slightly swollen and villous at the base, the rachis is slender, somewhat villous towards the base. [Illustration: Fig. 203.--Chloris Bournei. 1 to 5. The glumes in order; 3a and 3b. the third glume and its palea; 3c. flower; 4a and 4b. the fourth glume and its palea; 5a. fifth glume; 6. a spikelet with four awned glumes; 7. grain.] The _spikelets_ are about 1/8 inch excluding the awn, very shortly pedicelled, biseriate, unilateral, disarticulating above the first two glumes which are persistent, purplish or pale, 1- to 3-flowered, usually 3- to 4-awned and sometimes 5-awned; _awns_ are purplish 3/16 to 5/16 inch long, finely scabrid. There are five or seven _glumes_ in a spikelet. The _first glume_ is hyaline, purplish or pale, about 1/10 inch long, lanceolate, sub-acuminate, 1-nerved with a scaberulous keel. The _second glume_ is hyaline, about one and half times as long as the first, oblong elliptic, minutely 2-lobed at the apex, with a minute mucro between, 1-nerved with a scabrid keel. The _third glume_ is as long as the second, awned, pale or purple, ovate or obovate, narrowed at the base and clasping the rachilla at its base, apex shortly 2-fid with a purple dorsal awn, 3-nerved paleate; the two marginal nerves are densely bearded with long white or purple tinged hairs from near the base to almost the apex and the mid-nerve also similarly bearded with long hairs on both sides, and the base with a tuft of long hairs; the palea is as long as the glume, coriaceous obovately-cuneate, obtuse, minutely bifid, purple-tipped, with folded hyaline margins, 2-keeled; keels shortly ciliate. _Stamens_ three with yellow or purple anthers, _ovary_ with two feathery _stigmas_ and two _lodicules_. Grain is oblong shining light reddish brown, narrowed at both ends and somewhat trigonous. The remaining glumes _fourth_ to _seventh_ are borne by the rachilla, thinly chartaceous, broadly obcordate or obovate, gradually diminishing in size, purple-tinged, 3- to 5-nerved, scaberulous. The fourth and fifth glumes are empty and epaleate when the spikelets are five glumed. If there are six glumes, the _fourth_ bears stamens and the ovary, the _fifth_ and _sixth glumes_ are empty, and in spikelets of seven glumes, the third, fourth, and the fifth glumes are flower-bearing and contain grains, and the remaining two glumes are empty.