Description:

• Perennial or annual, tufted to decumbent, rhizomatous
• Leaf blade linear or setaceous, somewhat rigid, flat or rolled and pungent; ligule a fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence a panicle, dense and contracted; spikelets solitary, pedicelled or subsessile
• Spikelet 7.5-24.0 mm long, lanceolate, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and ± between florets; glumes ± equal, as long as to longer than spikelet, similar, firm, with hyaline margin, prominently 5-11-nerved, separated by an internode, awnless; upper glume somewhat narrower than lower, usually acuminate
• Florets 3-6, bisexual or sometimes upper floret male, sterile and reduced to a small scale; lemma similar in texture to glumes, membranous, prominently 7-11-nerved, densely and shortly hairy between nerves and with tufts of hairs at point of insertion of median awn, 2-lobed, lobes narrow, hyaline and tapering into short straight lateral awns, central awn arising from sinus, geniculate; callus obliquely pungent, hairy; palea membranous, obtuse or 2-lobed, 2-keeled, keels winged
• Lodicules 2, glabrous, cuneate, fleshy
• Stamens 3
• Ovary glabrous; styles long, densely plumose
• x = 6 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Centropodia Rchb.
  • Reichenbach: 212a (1828)
  • Chippindall: 246 (1955) under Danthonia Stapf
  • Conert: 239 (1962) under Asthenatherum Nevski
  • Hubbard: 122 (1970) under Asthenatherum Nevski
  • Cope: 657 (1982)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 177 (1986)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 80 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 214 (1994)
• Asthenatherum Nevski
  • Nevski: 8 (1934)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 4, North Africa through Middle East to India
• Southern Africa: Species 2, Namibia, Botswana to Northern Cape