Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1907: 211 (1907).- Type: Schimper 1801, Ethiopia (iso- K).
Andropogon commutatus Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 387 (1854);
Cymbopogon floccosus (Schweinf.) Stapf, FTA 9: 276 (1919).
Regional litterature: FTA 9: 275 (1919); FWTA: 482 (1972); FTEA: 766 (1982); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 330, fig. (1995); Pl. Mauritanie: 307 (1998); Fl. Chad (2013); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 124 (2015).
Description:
* Tufted perennial with opersistant basal sheaths of 0.15-1.5 m high. Leaves filiform to flat, 10-50 cm long and 1-4 mm wide; smooth or asperulous on the nerves..
* Inflorescence a linear to narrowly oblong false panicle of 5-35 cm long. Racemes 15-30 mm long, ciliate with hairs up to 2 mm long; upper with 5-8 pairs of spikelets; lowermost pedicel swollen , free from adjacemt internode.
* Sessile spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 4-7 mm long. Lower glume chartaceous, glabrous or pubescent, nerveless (rarely 2-3 intercarinal nerves), deeply concave between the keels, these rounded in the lower half with often a gibbous swelling at the base, wingless. Upper lemma bifid to the middle; awn 10-20 mm long, geniculate with a distinct column. Pedicelles spikelet similar, 4.5-7 mm long.
Distribution West Africa: Senegal, Mauritania, Chad, Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: Ethiopia, Uganda, and NE and E Africa, southern Asia.