Fl. Afr. Austral. Ill.: 156 (1841).- Type: Ecklon & Drège s.n., South Africa (isosyn- K).
Vilfa fimbriata Nees ex Trin., Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math., Seconde Pt. Sci. Nat. 5(2): 69 (1840).
Regional litterature: FTEA: 377 (1974); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 151 (1995); Fl. Zambesiaca 10,2: 189 (1999); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 148 (2015).
Description:
* Tufted perennial of 1-1.7 m high, arising from a short oblique rhizome. Culms geniculately ascending, 2-3 mm in diameter at the base, erect, usually unbranched. Leaves mainly basal, linear, usually flat, sometimes convolute, 10-30 cm long and 2-5 mm wide, often pilose below, the white midrib prominently above, tapering into a filiform tip; ligule a fringe of hairs; sheaths papery.
* Inflorescence a linear to lanceolate panicle of 15-50 cm long, the primary branches 2-9(-15) cm long, contracted along the primary axis, usually clothed in spikelets on short appressed branchlets along their whole length, or the lower third bare, rarely the branchlets spreading.
* Spikelets lanceolate, 1.4-2.2 mm long, dark green. Lower glume narrowly oblong, 0.6-1.4 mm long, lanceolate; upper glume narrowly oblong, almost as long as spikelet, acute. Lemma narrowly oblong, membranous, equaling or slightly shorter than the spikelet, 1-veined. Anthers 3, 0.9-1.2 mm long. Caryopsis obovoid, 0.6 mm long, truncate.
Note: A variable species that intergrades with a number of its relative species. The usual plant has mostly basal leaves, flat or folded leaves of up to 5 mm wide, glabrous or ciliate sheath margins and an open panicle.
Distribution West Africa: South Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: Ethiopia, Uganda, DRC and Somalia, E and southern Africa.