Prod. Veg. Ind. Occ. 21 (1788).- Type: Swartz, Jamaica (holo- BM).
Homalocenchrus hexandrus (Sw) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2: 777 (1891).
Regional litterature: FTEA: 25 (1970); Fl. Zambesiaca 10,1: 26, fig (1971; FWTA: 367 (1972); Ghana grasses: 172, fig 51 (1977) ; Gram. Togo: 240, fig. (1983); Fl. Rwanda: 292 (1988); Fl. Mauritania: 430, fig (1991); Gram. Cameroun: 48, fig 9 (1992); Poac. CI: 90, fig. (1995); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 9, fig (1995); Pl. Mauritania: 271 (1998); Poac. Niger: 115 (1999); Fl. Bénin: 214, fig (2006); Pl. Vasc. Guiné-Bissau: 169 (2006); Fl. Guinea Bissau: 138 (2008); Fl. Libya: 14 (1988); Fl. Guinée: 464 (2009); Pl. Burkina Faso: 94 (2012); Fl. Chad (2013); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 135 (2015).
Description:
* Straggling rhizomatous perennial, 0.3-1.2 m tall with culms creeping and rooting at the lower nodes. Culms weak, erect or decumbent, with nodes densely bearded with stiff deflexed white hairs. Leaves green to glaucous green, linear to linear-lanceolate, flat but rolling inward on wilting, glabrous, 10-25 cm long and 4-12 mm broad, armed with minute tenacious recurved spines capable of inflicting severe lacerations, with scabrid margins; base slightly narrowed and rounded; ligule a pale green membrane of 1-2 mm long; sheath glabrous with prominent pointed auricles.
* Inflorescence a delicate narrow spreading panicle, light green turning purplish red, elliptical to oblong, 5-14 cm long and 1-4 cm broad with spikelets closely imbricated on ascending, hair-like scabrid branches. Branches up to 5 cm long, upper part wiry and with the spikelets close together. Pedicels up to 0.5 mm long.
* Spikelets oblong, 3.5-4.0 mm long and 1.2-1.5 mm broad, yellowish green with green nerves, some turning purplish. Lemma and palea with glass-like hairs more or less straight or slightly bent on the keels and nerves, the keels pectinate ciliate; lemma ovate, palea straight. Anthers and styles creamy white.
Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra leone, Liberia, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: N, C, NE, E and southern Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.