Enum. Hort. Berol. 1029 (1809); Gen. Gram.: 223 (1986).- Type-species: Dactyloctenium aegyptium (Linn.) Willd.
Description:
* Tufted or stoloniferous annuals or perennials. Leaves linear, flat or folded; ligule membranous, often ciliate.
* Inflorescence of paired or digitate racemes. Racemes disarticulate at maturity from the top of the culm; the uppermost spikelets abortive and the rhachis terminating in a pointed extension of the flattened rhachis.
* Spikelets several-flowered, elliptic to ovate, biseriate and closely overlapping, disarticulating above the glumes. Glumes shorter than the lemmas, keeled, subequal, persistent, the upper with a stout awn from just below the broadly rounded emarginate tip. Lemmas keeled, 3-nerved, membranous, glabrous with an acute to shortly awned tip. Caryopsis angular, ornamented.
Genus of about 12 species, mainly Africa and tropical Asia; introduced elsewhere.