Bull. Jard. Bot. Etat Bruxelles 25: 242 (1955).- Type: Thunberg, South Africa (holo- UPS-Thunb. 2102)
Agrostis africana Poir., Encycl. Suppl. 1: 254 (1810)
Agrostis spicata Thunb., Prodr. Pl. Cap. , part 1 : 19 (1794), non Vahl, 1790
Agrostis capensis Willd., Sp. Pl. 1: 372 (1794); non (Linn.) Lam. (1783), nom. illegit. based on A. spicata;
Vilfa capensis P. Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr. 16: 147, 181 (1812), based on A. capensis Thunb.;
Sporobolus capensis (P. Beauv.) Kunth, Enum. Pl. 1: 212 (1833);
Sporobolus indicus (Linn.) R.Brown var. capensis Engler, Hochgeb. Trop. Afr.: 127 (1892);
Sporobolus indicus (Linn.) R. Br. var. africanus Jov. & Guéd., Taxon 22: 163 (1973);
Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br.. laxus (Nees) Stapf, 1900, Fl. Cap.7: 586, (1900).- Type: Ecklon s.n., Cape, South Africa (lecto- B; isolecto- K);
Sporobolus batesii A. Chevalier, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., sér. 2,20: 469 (1948).- Type: Bates 567, Rio Benito, Cameroon (holo- P)
Regional litterature: FWTA: 410 (1972); FTEA: 374, 375 (1974); Gram. Cameroun: 157 (1992); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 149, fig. 61 (1995); Fl. Zambesiaca 10,2: 186 (1999)
Description:
* Tufted or tussocky perennial of 0.3-1.1 m high; basal sheaths rather broad, keeled, somewhat papery. Culms erect, 1.5-3 mm in diameter at the base. Leaves linear, flat or convolute, 10-40 cm long and 1-4 mm wide, tapering into a long filiform tip; ligule a fringe of hairs.
* Inflorescence a linear contracted or spiciform panicle of 10-35 cm long, with short side branches, dense. Primary branches appressed to the main axis, the lowest 1-2(-3) cm long, densely clothed with spikelets along their whole length.
* Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 2-2.8 mm long, dark greyish green. Glumes deciduous, lower glume broadly oblong, 0.4-0.7 mm long, hyaline, obtuse; upper glume 1-1.5 mm long, acute. Lemma ovate-elliptic, as long as spikelet, membranous, dark green, acute. Anthers 3, 0.6-1.1 mm long. Caryopsis ellipsoid, 1-1.2 mm long, truncate at the top, often about tetragonal in cross-section.
Vernacular names: Djing maungli (dial. Tabenken).
Distribution West Africa: Nigeria, Cameroon.
Distribution world-wide: DRC, Ethiopia, Uganda, C, E and southern Africa, Arabic Peninsular; introduced in Australia.