FTA 9: 344 (1919).- Type: Gossweiler 4151, Angola (lecto- K).
Hyparrhenia acutispathacea var. pilosa Bamps, Bull. Jard. Bot. Brux. 25 : 392 (1955).
Regional litterature: FWTA: 494 (1972); RI: 164 (1977); FTEA : 811 (1982); Gram. Cameroun: 488 (1992); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 347, fig (1995); Fl. Zambesiaca: 123 (2002); Fl. Bénin: 211 (2006); Pl. Burkina Faso: 92 (2012); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 134 (2015).
Description:
* Robust erect tufted perennial of 2-3 m, supported by stilt roots. Culms terete to somewhat compressed, 4-8 mm diam, robust, angular towards the base, frequently conspicuously prop-rooted and shortly stoloniferous. Leaves 0.3-0.5 m long, narrowly linear, flat and glabrous with a slightly recessed white midrib, scabrid margins tending to roll outwards; base narrowed passing directly into sheath; ligule a pink membrane; sheath glabrous and finely nerved. Roots coarse, robust.
* Inflorescence paniculate, 30-50 cm long on numerous branches from the upper culms, forming a loose panicle of short paired racemes excerted from narrow inconspicuous spatheole of 2.5-4 cm long. Racemes deflexed, 1.5 cm long, borne on short unequal yellow-bearded bases attached to fine springy peduncles with a sparse beard of stiff pale yellow hairs towards the apex; rachis fragile, hairs white; raceme-bases flattened; sub equal, 1.5 mm long, stiffly setose, scarious rimmed and shortly lobed; with 0.2-0.5 mm long appendage; 4-7 awns per pair of racemes. One pair of homogamous spikelets in lower raceme and none in the upper raceme.
*Spikelets villous. Sessile spikelet pale, lanceolate, 5-6 mm long; callus oblong, 0.6 mm long, obtuse. Lower glume lanceolate, coriaceous, dark brown or red. Upper lemma linear with a bigeniculate awn of 2-4 cm long from the sinus with twisted column, puberulous or pubescent with 0.2-0.4 mm long hairs. Pedicelled spikelets lanceolate, 6-7 mm long, villous, acuminate, muticous or with a 2-6 mm long awn. Homogamous spikelets similar but awnless.
Distribution West Africa: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: Congo, DRC, Ethiopia, Uganda, C, E and southern Africa.