Kew Bull. 20: 75 (1966).- Drège s.n., South Africa, Enon-Driefontein (syn- S, TUB).
Heteropogon filifolius Nees, Fl. Afr. Austral. Ill.: 102 (1841);
Andropogon grandiflorus Hack., Flora 68: 127(1885).- Type: Barter 1373, Nigeria (iso- K);
Heteropogon grandiflorus (Hack.) Roberty, Boissiera 9: 137(1960);
Diheteropogon grandiflorus (Hackel) Stapf; in Hook., Ic. PI. tab. 3093 (1922);
Diheteropogon emarginatus (De Wild.) Robyns, Fl. Agrost. Congo Belge 1: 152 (1929).
Regional litterature: Fl. Gabon, 5: 162, flg. 25 (1962); FWTA 3(2): 489 (1972); FTEA: 783 (1982); Gram. Cameroun: 466 (1992); Flora Zambesiaca: 92 (2002).
Description:
* Caespitose perennial with persistant butt sheaths at the base, 1-1.5 m high. Culms erect. Leaves filiform to linear, flat or involute, 10-50 cm long and 0.5-6(-16) mm wide, base not cordate; ligule an eciliate membrane.
* Inflorescence a compound scanty panicle with 2-4 terminal or terminal and axillary raceme pairs. Racemes 2.5-14 cm long; rhachis fragile ciliate on margins; internodes linear to clavate, basis filiform to linear; 2-11 homogamous spikelet pairs at the base of both racemes.
* Sessile spikelets linear, 6-15 mm long, pubescent, base linear, pungent. Lower glume linear or lanceolate, sharply keeled, concave or a median groove; upper glume linear with ciliate margins. Lower lemma hyaline, 2-veined; upper lemma linear oblong, hyaline, margins ciliate, hairy above, tip incised with a bigeniculate awn of 3-7(-15) cm long with twisted puberulous column. Pedicelled spikelets lanceolate, 12-25 mm long, longer than the sessile spikelet with glumes muticous or awned of 0-8 mm long. Homogamous spikelets equalling fertile, muticous.
Distribution West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, CAR, Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: Congo, DRC, Ethiopia, and E and southern Africa.