FTA 9: 334 (1919).- Type: Macaulay 62, Zambia (lecto- K).
Hyparrhenia spectabilis Stapf, FTA 9: 338 (1918);
Cymbopogon acutispicatus De Wild., Bull. Jard. Bot. Brux. 6: 7 (1919);
Hyparrhenia acutispicata (De Wild.) Robyns, Fl. Agrost. Congo Belge 1: 181 (1929).
Regional litterature: FTEA: 805 (1982); Fl. Rwanda: 295 (1988); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 344, fig (1995); Fl. Zambesiaca: 117 (2002); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 134 (2015).
Description:
* Robust tufted perennial of 1.5-3 m high, arising from a short underground rhizome, clad in hard cataphylls. Culms supported by stilt roots, erect, often initially decumbent. Leaves linear, 25-45 cm long and 6-15 mm large, firm, glabrous or hirsute at the base; ligule an eciliate membrane of up to 2 mm long; sheaths glabrous, sometimes hirtellous at the base.
* Inflorescence a large dense much-branched spatheolate panicle, typically 20-40 cm long and 10 cm wide. Spatheoles boat-shaped, lanceolate in profile, 1.4-2.5 cm long and 3-4 mm wide, glabrous, russet red tinged with yellow and green at maturity; peduncles short, 3-9 mm long, up to about 1/3 as long as spatheole, bearded above with white hairs. Racemes 0.8-1.3 cm long, 3-5 awned per pair, projecting laterally from the spatheole; bases subequal, short, the upper 1 mm long with a scarious rim of 0.2 mm long at the tip. One homogamous pair at the base of the lower raceme only.
* Sessile spikelets 4-5 mm long, glabrescent to sparsely and shortly pubescent; callus cuneate, 0.5-1 mm long, narrowly obtuse to subacute at the base; lowe glume with a median depression, keeled and red towards the tip. Upper lemma with a bigeniculate awn 1.8-3.2 mm long, column twisted pubescent with short hairs. Pedicelled spikelets 5-8 mm long, reddish, glabrous to puberulous, ciliate on the margins, with an awn-point 1-4 mm long. Homogamous spikelets 7-9 mm long, glabrous to puberulous, ciliate on the margins.
Distribution West Africa: Sudan, South Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: DRC, Ethiopia, Uganda; Yemen; C, E and southern Africa.