Description :

• Perennial or annual, tufted; culm erect or geniculate
• Leaf blade linear, expanded or folded; ligule an unfringed membrane
• Inflorescence spike-like, cylindrical, rachis 3-angled, wavy, composed of sessile clusters formed by 3-11 spikelets, inner fertile spikelets enclosed in an outer involucre of several glumaceous or coriaceous bracts or of lower glumes of vestigial sterile spikelets, these are usually connate at base, clusters disarticulating as a whole from persistent main axis
• Involucre spikelet : lower glume acute, acuminate or drawn out into short rigid sometimes bifid awn, 2-13-nerved with nerves visible on inside, indurated
• Fertile spikelet lanceolate to oblong, dorsiventrally compressed; glumes dissimilar; lower glume suppressed; upper glume shorter than spikelet, 1-nerved
• Florets 2; lower floret reduced to a lemma shorter than spikelet, membranous, 2-7-nerved; upper floret bisexual, lemma lanceolate, membranous, entire, glabrous, 3-5-nerved, flat, thin margins covering most of palea, awnless; palea similar to lemma, 2-nerved
• Lodicules 2
• Stamens 3
• Ovary lanceolate-oblong; styles plumose
• Caryopsis oblong-ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed
• x = 9 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Anthephora Schreb.
  • Schreber: 105 (1810)
  • Stapf: 440 (1899)
  • Goossens: 189 (1932)
  • Chippindall: 436 (1955)
  • Launert: 23 (1970)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 660 (1982)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 306 (1986)
  • Clayton: 190 (1989)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 42 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 119 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species 12, tropical and southern Africa, Arabia and tropical America
• Southern Africa : Species 4, Namibia, Botswana, northern provinces of South Africa and Northern Cape