J. Bot. Morot.8: 289 (1894).- Type: Ascherson 336, Egypt (syn- P); Todaro s.n., Italy, Sicily (syn- P); Balansa 734, Algeria (syn- P); Olivier 208, Morocco, Assa (syn- MPU).
SYNONYMS
Eragrostis insulatlantica A. Chev., Rev. Bot. Appl. Agric. Trop. 15: 1042 (1935).- Type: Type: Chevalier 45543, Covao, Cape Verde (syn- P).
Regional litterature: Fl. Sahara: 181 (1977); Fl. Mauritania: 454, fig (1991); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 121, fig (1995); Pl. Mauritanie: 282 (1998); Poac. Niger: 196, fig. (1999); Fl. Chad (2013); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 129 (2015).
Description:
* Tufted annual. Culms geniculately ascending, 5-50(-80) cm long. Leaves flat or involute, 2-10 cm long and 2-5.5 mm wide; glaucous; margins eglandular; ligule a fringe of hairs.
* Inflorescence an open lanceolate or oblong panicle of 3-20 cm long; branches stiff, glandular, bearing spikelets almost to the base. Spikelets solitary, pedicelled. Pedicels glandular.
* Spikelets comprising 5-30 fertile florets with diminished florets at the apex, oblong, 5-20 mm long and 1.3-2 mm wide, breaking up at maturity; rachilla persistent, retaining paleas. Lower glume lanceolate, 0.9-1.3 mm long, 1-veined, acute; upper glume lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm long, 1-veined, acute. Lemmas appressed, oblong or ovate, 1.7-2.6 mm long, membranous, yellow or grey, 3-veined often with midvein purplish, keeled, obtuse; palea keels scaberulous. Anthers 3, 0.2 mm long. Caryopsis with adherent pericarp, ellipsoid, or oblong, without sulcus, 0.6-1 mm long, dark brown.
Distribution West Africa: Cape Verde, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunesia, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, DRC and NE and southern Africa, W Asia; introduced in Australia and Central America.