Sp. Pl.: 54 (1753).- Type:
Regional litterature: FWTA: 464, fig. 448 (1972); Ghana grasses: 222 (1977); FTEA : 704 (1982); Gram. Togo: 297, fig. (1983); Gram. Cameroun: 394 (1992); Fl. Bénin: 236 (1992); Poac. CI : 474, fig. (1995); Fl. Zambesiaca: 4, fig. (2002); Fl. Guinée: 474 (2009); Pl. Burkina Faso: 108 (2012); Fl. Chad (2013).
Description:
* Coarse cespitose perennial cultivated for its sugar, 3-6 m high. Culms erect and robust, 2-4.5 cm diam., internodes solid, yellow, or mid-green, or purple. Leaves linear to lanceolate, 0.7-1.5 m long and 3-6 cm wide, glaucous; surface and margins scaberulose; apex acuminate; sheaths loose; ligule a ciliolate membrane.
* Inflorescence an open silver pyramidal dense panicle of 40-60 cm long with the branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle glabrous or pubescent above. Primary branches whorled at most nodes, 5-10 cm long; axis glabrous or puberulous. Racemes 5-10 cm long; rachis fragile at the nodes, subterete; internodes filiform, 4-7 mm long. Spikelets in pairs with sessile and pedicelled spikelets. Pedicels filiform.
* Sessile spikelets lanceolate, 3.5-4 mm long; callus bearded and base truncate, callus hairs white, 7-12 mm long, 2-3 times the length of spikelet. Glumes similar, lanceolate, membranous, apex acute. Lower lemma lanceolate, hyaline, ciliate on margins; acute; upper lemma present or absent. Caryopsis oblong, 1.5 mm long.
Distribution West Africa: Cultivated in Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cemroun, CAR, Chad.
Distribution world-wide: Cultigen, introduced, C Africa, Angola, worldwide.