Leaf blade linear, expanded or folded, strongly keeled, blunt at apex; sheaths keeled and margins free; ligule a fringed membrane, rarely an unfringed membrane
Inflorescence of 2-many spikes, digitate or subdigitate, sometimes a compact cluster; spikelets solitary, sessile or subsessile, arranged in 2 rows on one side of flattened rachis
Spikelet laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and between florets or not disarticulating; glumes very unequal, shorter than spikelet, keeled, scabrid on keels, awnless; lower glume 1-nerved; upper glume 3-7-nerved, herbaceous with membranous margins, narrowly winged on keel
Florets 2-15, bisexual or uppermost floret reduced; lemmas similar, membranous, glabrous, strongly keeled, keel sometimes thickened, 3-nerved, sometimes with 1-3 closely spaced additional nerves, lateral nerves often shorter than lemma, awnless to mucronate; palea slightly shorter lemma, notched at apex, 2-keeled with keels winged
Lodicules 2, minute, cuneate, glabrous
Stamens 3
Ovary glabrous; styles slender from a broadened base, distinct, plumose above
Caryopsis ellipsoid to subglobose, surface ornamented, enclosed in a free pericarp
x = 9 (polyploidy)
Nomenclature:
Eleusine Gaertn.
Gaertner: 7 (1788)
Stapf: 644 (1900)
Stent: 291 (1924)
Chippindall: 129 (1955)
Launert: 74 (1970)
Phillips: 251 (1972)
Phillips: 260 (1974)
Clayton & Renvoize: 221 (1986)
Gibbs Russell et al.: 129 (1990)
Watson & Dallwitz: 364 (1994)
Distribution & Notes:
Global: Species 9, mainly Africa
Southern Africa: Species 4, widespread
References:
CHIPPINDALL, L.K.A. 1955. A guide to the identification of grasses in South Africa. In D. Meredith, The grasses and pastures of South Africa. Central News Agency, Cape Town
CLAYTON, W.D. & RENVOIZE S.A. 1986. Genera graminum. Grasses of the world. Kew Bulletin. Additional series 13
GAERTNER, J. 1788. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum 1. Academia Carolina, Stuttgart
GIBBS RUSSELL, G.E., WATSON, L., KOEKEMOER, M., SMOOK, L., BARKER, N.P., ANDERSON, H.M. & DALLWITZ. M.J. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 58
LAUNERT, E. 1970. Gramineae. Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 160
PHILLIPS, S.M. 1972. A survey of the genus Eleusine Gaertn. (Gramineae) in Africa. Kew Bulletin 27
PHILLIPS, S.M. 1974. Flora of tropical East Africa. Gramineae (Part 2)
STAPF, O. 1898-1900. Gramineae. Flora capensis 7
STENT, S.M. 1924. South African Gramineae. Grasses of the Transvaal as represented in the National Herbarium. Bothalia 1
WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994. The grass genera of the world, revised edn. CAB International, Oxon
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