Cent. Pl. 1: 5 (1755).- Loefling, Spain (holo- LINN).
Anisantha madritensis (L.) Nevski, Trudy Sredne-Aziatsk. Gosud. Univ., Ser. 8b Bot, 17: 21 (1934).
Description:
* Annual in tufts or with solitary culms of 10-40 cm high. Culms erect or geniculately ascending. Leaves 2-12 cm long and 3.5-6 mm wide, hirsute; ligule a glabrous membrane of 1.5-4 mm long, lacerate; sheaths hirsute.
* Inflorescence a contracted obovate panicle of 5-10 cm wide and 2-5 cm wide; branches ascending, pubescent, 0.5-3.5 cm long with 1-3 spikelets on the lower branches. Peduncle pubescent above. Spikelets solitary, pedicelled.
* Spikelets with 4-8 fertile florets and diminished florets on the tip, breaking up under each floret, cuneate, laterally compressed, 1.5-4 cm long and 2-6 mm wide; internodes linear. Glumes narrow; lower glume linear, 5-9 mm long, chartaceous, acute; upper glume lanceolate, 7-13 mm long, chartaceous, keeled, acute. Lemmas elliptic, 10-18 mm long and 2-3 mm wide, chartaceous, veins distinct; 2-fid at the top with lobes 2-3 mm long with a straight subapical awn of 7-23 mm long; palea keel ciliate; apical florets sterile, underdeveloped. Anthers 3, 0.5-2 mm long. Caryopsis linear, 8-11 mm long, hairy at the apex.
Distribution West Africa: Cape Verde.
Distribution world-wide: Morocco, Algeria, Tunesia, Libya, Egypt, and Eritrea, southern Europe, W Asia, China; introduced in Australia and the Americas.