Description :

• Perennial, slender, up to 220 mm tall, densely tufted
• Leaf blade narrowly linear; leaf sheaths persistent at base, sometimes becoming fibrous; ligule a narrow, fringed membrane or a fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence a solitary, terminal, subsecund spike; spikelets usually appressed to rachis, alternating in 2 rows along slender triangular rachis; glumes dorsiventral to rachis
• Spikelet linear-elliptic, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and between florets; glumes unequal, shorter than spikelet, membranous, keeled, 1-nerved or rarely upper glume 3-nerved; lower glume often asymmetrical
• Florets 5-10, all bisexual except terminal floret reduced; lemma membranous, glabrous, dorsally rounded or obtusely keeled, 1-3-nerved, rarely with 1 or 2 additional faint nerves, emarginate to 2-lobed, central nerve terminating in a mucro or slender awn, rarely laterals mucronate; callus short, villous; palea shorter than lemma, 2-keeled, keels usually winged, hyaline
• Lodicules 2, truncate
• Stamens 2 or 3
• Ovary glabrous; styles plumose
• Caryopsis narrow, subterete, obtusely trigonous in cross section
• x = 10

Nomenclature:

• Tripogon Roem. & Schult.
  • Roemer & Schultes: 34 (1817)
  • Chippindall: 122 (1955)
  • Pilger: 38 (1956)
  • Launert: 210 (1970)
  • Phillips & Launert: 301 (1971)
  • Phillips: 288 (1974)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 211 (1986)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 345 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 973 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 30, tropical Africa and India, Australia
• Southern Africa : Species 1: Tripogon minimus (A.Rich.) Hochst. ex Steud., Namibia, Botswana, northern provinces of South Africa including Mpumalanga