Description :

• Annual or perennial, of various habit
• Leaf blade linear-lanceolate or long-linear, expanded or rolled; ligule an unfringed or a fringed membrane or a fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence a panicle, open or rarely contracted; spikelets pedicelled
• Spikelet lanceolate, oblong, elliptic or almost spherical, usually dorsiventrally compressed, usually falling with glumes; glumes unequal, rarely equal, membranous to hyaline, dissimilar or similar, usually awnless; lower glume usually shorter than spikelet, 0-7-nerved, awnless or minutely awned; upper glume as long as spikelet, 3-14-nerved
• Florets 2; lower floret male or sterile; lemma very similar to upper glume, with or without a palea; upper floret bisexual, lemma similar to firmer in texture than glumes, usually becoming indurated, elliptic, ovate-elliptic or rarely oblong, obtuse or subacute, smooth or transversely rugose, glabrous, margins inrolled and clasping edges of palea, awnless; palea similar to and subequalling lemma, often with marginal flaps at base
• Lodicules 2, broadly cuneate
• Stamens 3
• Ovary ellipsoid, glabrous; styles distinct, plumose above
• Caryopsis ± ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed
• x = 7, 9, 10 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Panicum L.
  • Linnaeus: 55 (1753)
  • Stapf: 382 (1898)
  • Stent: 263 (1924)
  • Chippindall: 321 (1955)
  • Launert: 135 (1970a)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 461 (1982)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 272 (1986)
  • Webster: 118 (1987)
  • Renvoize: 9 (1989)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 233 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 684 (1994)
• Psilochloa Launert: 156 (1970b)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 470, tropical, subtropical and warm temperate
• Southern Africa : Species 42, widespread