Description :

• Annual or perennial, rhizomatous or stoloniferous, rooting from lower nodes, sometimes floating
• Leaf blade expanded or rolled, linear; ligule a fringed membrane to a fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence an elongated, secund, false spike consisting of several sessile, spike-like, 1-sided racemes scattered singly on alternate sides and ± appressed to long central axis; rachis triquetrous or winged, usually ending in an inconspicuous point; spikelets solitary or paired, often in 2 rows, sessile or very shortly pedicelled; abaxial (upper) glume turned away from rachis
• Spikelet ovate, dorsiventrally compressed, falling with glumes; glumes unequal, awnless; lower glume a small membranous scale, 1-5-nerved; upper glume up to two-thirds as long as spikelet, 3-11-nerved, membranous
• Florets 2; lower floret male or sterile; lemma membranous, ± oblong-elliptic, rounded dorsally, subacute, 5-7-nerved, awnless; palea thinly membranous, equalling lemma; upper floret bisexual; lemma firmer than glumes, broadly elliptic, rounded dorsally, almost as long as spikelet, glabrous, rugose, entire, margins inrolled and clasping edges of palea, awnless; palea elliptic-lanceolate, acute, tip often briefly reflexed, flat and 2-keeled with margins involute, indurated
• Lodicules 2, broadly cuneate, fleshy
• Stamens 3
• Ovary glabrous; styles connate at base, plumose
• Caryopsis ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed
• x = 9 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Paspalidium Stapf
  • Stapf: 582 (1920)
  • Chippindall: 365 (1955)
  • Launert: 144 (1970)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 551 (1982)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 291 (1986)
  • Clayton: 109 (1989)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 244 (1990)
  • Veldkamp: 374 (1994) as Setaria
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 699 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 40, warmer regions of both hemispheres
• Southern Africa : Species 2, N Namibia and Botswana, northern provinces of South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal