POACEAE  

Annual, tufted. Leaf blade broadly linear, tapering to hair-like tip, expanded, soft; ligule a fringed membrane to a fringe of hairs. Inflorescence of 5-10 spike-like racemes, digitate or subdigitate or along central axis, 1-sided; spikelets solitary. Spikelet oblong with serrated outline, laterally compressed, lemmas disarticulating from below, leaving palea and rachilla, or spikelets falling entire or in parts; glumes +/- equal, similar, shorter than spikelet, membranous; lower glume ovate-lanceolate, 1-nerved, with nerve mucronate, keeled, scabrid on keel; upper glume lanceolate, awned. Florets 8-20, bisexual, upper reduced; lemmas +/- similar, ovate, similar to, to firmer in texture than glumes, membranous, glabrous, keeled, keel scabrid above, deeply concave, shortly 2-lobed, 3-nerved, central nerve produced into an awn; awn short, 0.3-0.9 mm long, stout, straight; callus 0; palea as long as lemma, lanceolate, 2-keeled, deeply channelled between keels. Lodicules 2, small, cuneate, glabrous. Stamens 3. Ovary ellipsoid, glabrous; styles distinct, plumose. Caryopsis ellipsoid, surface with ornamentation; pericarp free. x= 9 (1 report).