Bot. Jahrb. 6: 240 (1885); Gram. Afr. Trop. 1: 309 (1962); Gen. Gram.: 358 (1986).- Type-species: Anadelphia virgata Hack. (= A. leptocoma).
- Type-species: Anadelphia virgata Hack. = Anadelphia leptocoma (Trin.) Pilg.
Diectomys P. Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr.: 132 (1812).
Monium Stapf, FTA 9 : 399 (1919).
Pobeguinea Jacques-Félix, Rév. Bot. Appl. 30: 172 (1950).
Description:
* Annual or caespitose perennial herbs; young shoots intravaginal. Culms herbaceous, glabrous. Leaves mostly linear and firm; ligule an unfringed truncate membrane.
* Inflorescence a compound spathate panicle with capillary branches. Spathes linear, stiffly around the peduncles. Racemes solitary and loose with some or one pair of spikelets or a solitary spikelet and long internodes; no homogamous spikelets. Each pair with a sessile fertile and an accompanying pedicelled sterile spikelet.
* Sessile spikelet compressed dorsiventrally, usually blunt or with a sharp hairy callus, merged with tip of internode. Glumes longer than florets; lower glume relatively smooth, coriaceous; upper glume boat-shaped and keeled towards the tip. Lower floret epaleate, sterile; upper floret hermaphrodite with the hyaline lemma deeply lobed, and a geniculate awn from the sinus. Pedicelled spikelet reduced or larger than sessile spikelet, awnless and with a long callus. Stamens 3 with anthers of 2 mm long; stigmas 2. Caryopsis glabrous.
Quite similar to Schizachyrium that has its callus inserted into the tip of the internode.
Genus of tropical Africa with 14 species, many of them on the Fouta Djallon plateau of Guinea. Savannas, often on shallow soils.