Kew Bull. 1915: 382 (1915).- Type: Lamb 54, Nigeria, Zaria (holo- K).
Regional litterature: FTA 9: 455 (1919); FWTA: 452 (1972); Poac. CI: 434, fig. (1995); Poac. Niger: 450, fig. (1999).
Description:
* Annual of 0.5-1.5 m high. Culms erect, simple, glabrous with dark nodes. Leaves linear, 20-30 cm long and 4-10 mm wide; sheaths glabrous, hairy towards the tip; ligule a glabrous membrane, 2-3 mm long.
* Inflorescence composed of 4-10 digitate or subdigitate racemes of 10-15 cm long; rachis narrowly winged, angular with the spikelets ternate in the middle part of the raceme; rachis flat, laterally winged, the wings about the same width as the triquetrous midrib. Spikelets on pedicels, tip of pedicels with a corona of short hairs.
* Spikelets elliptic, or oblong, acute, glabrous, 2 mm long, persistent on plant; lower glume absent or obscure; upper glume oblong, obtuse, 0.75-1.3 mm long, 3 -veined, veins close together. Lower lemma elliptic acute, or oblong as long as spikelet, 7 -veined with unevenly spaced veins; upper lemma elliptic or oblong, acute, 2 mm long, cartilaginous, thinner on margins, light or dark brown.
Distribution West Africa and world-wide: Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon.