Kew Bull. 20: 292 (1966).- Type: Gossweiler 4040, Angola (syn- K).
Hyparrhenia grallata Stapf, Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 320 (1918).
Regional litterature: FWTA: 823 (1972); FTEA: 823, fig (1982); Poac. CI: 620, fig. (1995); Fl. Zambesiaca 10,4: 138, fig (1999)
Description:
* Caespitose perennial of 1-2 m high. Culms erect, robust, glabrous, yellowish, branched in the upper part. Leaves 15-30 cm long, 3-6 mm wide, stiff and glaucous; ligule a ciliolate membrane, 1-1.5 mm long, hyaline, truncate.Roots reddish brown.
* Inflorescence compound, scanty, 40-60 cm long, composed of terminal and axillary paired racemes. Spatheole linear, 7.5-10 cm long. Racemes 4-5.5 cm long, each bearing 6-9 fertile spikelets; rhachis fragile, ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing lax. Homogamous spikelets well-developed, on the lower raceme 2, 0-2 in upper raceme,.
* Sessile spikelets elliptic, 7-12 mm long; callus pungent, pubescent, hairs white. Glumes without keels and villous. Lower glume elliptic,chartaceous, dark brown; upper glume lanceolate with an awn 8-18 mm long. Upper lemma linear, 5-6 mm long, with a geniculate awn from the sinus of 3-5 cm long with twisted column. Pedicelled spikelets lanceolate, olive green, 8-13 mm long; callus linear, 2-3 mm long, 2-toothed. Homogamous spikelets 7 mm long, villous.
Distribution West Africa: Gambia, Ivory Coast.
Distribution world-wide: Tanzania and southern Africa.