Brachiaria

Annual or perennial. Leaf blade linear to lanceolate; ligule unfringed or a fringed membrane or fringe of hairs, rarely absent on all or only upper leaves. Inflorescence of 1-many, usually 1-sided, spike-like racemes scattered up central axis, rarely spike-like or like a panicle, rachis 3-angled or flattened; spikelets solitary, paired or clustered, often sessile or pedicelled, often orientated with lower glume adjacent to rachis of raceme (adaxial). Spikelet not noticeably to dorsiventrally compressed, disarticulating with glumes or above them, ovate to oblong, plump, obtuse to acute, rarely softly long-hairy; glumes unequal in size, rarely +/- equal, dissimilar, awnless; lower glume usually shorter than spikelet, membranous, obtuse at apex, 1-7-nerved; upper glume usually as long as spikelet and similar to lower lemma, acuminate, 5-11-nerved. Florets 2; lower floret male or sterile with lemma similar to upper glume, 5-7-nerved, palea shorter than lemma, membranous; upper floret bisexual, lemma firmer than glumes, crustaceous, faintly 5-nerved, glabrous, margins inrolled and covering only edges of palea, awnless; palea obtuse to subacute, firm with two marginal flaps at base. Lodicules 2, broadly cuneate. Stamens 3. Ovary ovoid; styles plumose above. Caryopsis ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed. x= 7, 9 (high polyploidy).