Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 432 (1851).- Type: Schimper 410, Ethiopie, Mt Scholoda (holo- P!; iso- K, B).
Festuca abyssinica Höchst., in Flora 24 (Intell. 1): 20 (1841) nomen nudum;
Koeleria afromontana Jacques-Félix, Gram. Afr. Trop. 1: 186, fïg. 108 (1962) nomen nudum;
Festuca schimperiana A. Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 433 (1851).- Schimper 1384, Ethiopia, Semien (lecto- P, isolecto K,B);
Festuca rigidiuscula Alexeev, Bot Zh 71: 1111 (1986).- Type: Preuss 797, Cameroun (holo- B); Mann 2087, Cameroun (para- LE); Maitland 1245, 1247, Cameroun (para- B, LE); Meurillon 1193,1202, Cameroun (para- UPS, K).
Regional litterature: FTEA: 60, fig. 21 (1970); Fl. Zambesiaca 10,1: 55, fig (1971); FWTA: 369 (1972); Gram. Cameroun: 59 (1992); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 24, fig (1995), Fl. Chad (2013); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 131 (2015).
Description:
* Perennial forming fairly loose tussocks of 0.4-1 m high; culms ascending. Basal leaves inrolled, filiform, 20-35 cm long and 0.5 mm wide, smooth ; upper leaves flat.
* Inflorescence a contracted, sometimes spiciform panicle of 8-20 cm long, dense with the spikelets appressed to the main axis or later ascending.
* Spikelets 2-5-flores, narrowly elliptic, 8-15 mm long, purplish green. Glumes large and enveloping for ¾ the lemmas, the lower 6 mm and the upper 6-8 mm long. Lemmas narrowly elliptic, 6-10 mm long, the tip acute or extending into an awn of up to 5 mm long. Anthers 0.5-3 mm long.
Distribution West Africa: Cameroun, Chad, Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: Ethiopia, Uganda and DRC and C, E and southern Africa.
Note: Extremely polymorphis species of which quite a number of infraspecific taxa have been described, but all of them integrade to such a degree (Fl. Zambesiaca).