Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb., 12: 210 (1909).- Type: Brown 6101, Australia (holo- BM; iso- K).
Panicum semialatum R. Br., Prodr. 192 (1810).
Regional litterature: Fl. Agrost. Congo Belge 2: 57 (1934); FWTA: 448 (1972); Ghana grasses: 89, fig. 3 (1977); Gram. Togo: 130 (1983); Fl. Senegal 10: 48, fig 20, 21. (1991, unpubl.); Gram. Cameroun: 256, fig. 55 (1992); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 216, fig (1995); Fl. Bénin: 176 (2006); Fl. Guinée: 447 (2009); Pl. Burkina Faso: 67 (2012); Fl. Chad (2013); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 118 (2015).
Description:
* Densely tufted perennial of 0.6-1.0 m tall. Culms erect with nodes bearded by short ascending white hairs, base swollen and forming a densely ciliated bulb. Leaves linear, 10-40 cm long, 2-5(-10) mm large, hairy with tubercle-based hairs; ligule a ciliate membrane of 0.7 mm long; sheaths densely silk-hairy towards the base. Rhizomes short, woody.
* Inflorescence digitate with 2-5 racemes along a common axis of 1-2 cm long. Racemes unilateral, 2-20 cm long; rachis angular, villous on surface; the spikelet packing irregular. All spikelets pedicelled, 2-4 in the cluster. Pedicels angular, hairy all along but hairs longer towards the cupuliform tip.
* Spikelet ovate, 5-7.5 mm long, falling entire. Lower glume ovate, more than half length of spikelet, membranous, acuminate; upper glume ovate, as long as spikelet, membranous, light green, puberulous, acuminate, margins ciliate, sometimes extended into a wing. Lower lemma ovate, chartaceous; upper lemma lanceolate, 3.5-7 mm long, dark brown with an awn 1.5-3 mm.
Distribution West Africa: Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad.
Distribution world-wide: Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and southern Africa, Ethiopia, Asia and Australia.