Rev. Bot. Appl. Agric. Trop. 14: 199 (1934).- Type: Jacques-Félix 351, Kouroussa, Guinea (holo- P).
Regional litterature: FWTA: 501 (1972); Fl. Guinée: 447 (2009).
Description:
* Annual of 1 m long. Leaves, ligule a ciliolate membrane.
* Inflorescence a scanty pseudo-panicle of 10-30 cm long, composed of terminal and axillary racemes enclosed by a purple lanceolate spatheole of 4.5-5.5 cm long. Racemes single, 3 cm long, bearing 2 fertile spikelets; rhachis fragile at the nodes, ciliate on the margins; spikelet packing lax; internodes filiform. 2-6 fertile sessile spikelets per raceme. Pedicels filiform, 5 mm long, ciliate.
* Sessile spikelets lanceolate, 10-13 mm long; callus linear, curved, pungent, 3-4 mm long, pubescent, hairs white. Lower glume oblong, coriaceous, dark brown; apex entire, truncate; upper glume oblong, coriaceous with awn 7-14 mm long. Lower lemma oblong, hyaline, ciliate on margins, 4.5 mm long, membranous; apex lobed, incised for half of lemma length with bigeniculate awn from a sinus, 5-7 cm long with twisted column of 20-22 mm long, glabrous. Sterile spikelets well-developed, male, lanceolate, 15-25 mm long; callus oblong, 1 mm long, 2-toothed, glumes coriaceous, glabrous, setaceously attenuate, with 1-3 mm long awn.