After the extraction of free sugars and water soluble polysaccharides the cell wall constituents of leaf, stem and inflorescence samples ofThemeda triandra(red grass) at two stages of growth were separated into fractions by a sequence of extraction procedures. Pectic substances were present as a minor component of the dry matter and consisted mainly of glucose and galacturonic acid. Cellulose was the major type of polysaccharide and contributed about one third of the dry matter. The total content of hemicellulose A and B, calculated as the sum of the component sugars and total uronic acid, accounted for one sixth to one quarter of the dry matter. Leaves and inflorescences contained more hemicellulose B than -A, while this proportion was reversed in the stems.S. Afr. J. Plant Soil1986, 3: 135–139