Ess. Agrost., Expl. Pl.: 13, tab. 20/8 (1812).- Type: König s.n., India (- LINN,BM)
Nardus indica Linn.f., Suppl. Pl.: 105 (1781);
Rottboellia setacea Roxb., Cor. PL 2: 17, t. 132 (1798), nom. superfl.;
Microchloa setacea (Roxb.) R.Br., Prodr. FI. Nov. Holl.: 208 (1810), nom. superfl.
Regional litterature: FWTA: 403 (1972); FTEA: 314 (1974); Ghana grasses: 187, fig. 59 (1977); Gram. Togo: 255, fig. (1983); Gram. Cameroun: 183, fig. 40 (1992); Poac. CI: 184, fig. (1995); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 172 (1995); Pl. Mauritanie: 290 (1998); Poac. Niger: 286, fig. (1999); Fl. Bénin: 219 (2006) ; Pl. Vasc. Guiné-Bissau: 169 (2006); Fl. Guinea Bissau: 139 (2008); Fl. Guinée: 465 (2009); Pl. Burkina Faso: 97 (2012); Fl. Chad (2013); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 137 (2015).
Description:
* Small straggling or densely tufted erect or ascending annual, 5-25 cm high. Culms erect or ascending, with 2-8 nodes, branched. Leaves many, basal, very narrowly linear, 1-3 cm long, and 1-1.5 mm broad, folded or partially folded and glabrous with smooth margins, base passing straight into sheath; ligule a line of short hairs; sheath glabrous, slightly compressed.
* Inflorescence a slender long curved terminal raceme of 2-8 cm long, rachis 0.6-0.9 mm wide with tiny, overlapping spikelets crowded on one side of the narrow rachis of 0.2 mm wide.
* Spikelets 1.7-2.2 mm long, light green. Glume lanceolate-oblong, as long as spikelets, 1-nerved, the lower keeled, the upper rounded on the back. Lemma shorter than and enclosed by the glumes, hyaline ovate to broadly elliptic, ciliate on the nerves and fringes, obtuse. Grain oblong, 1-2 mm long.