Description:

• Perennial, tufted to mat-forming, sometimes stoloniferous or rooting from lower nodes
• Leaf blade linear to linear-lanceolate, flat or folded; ligule a fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence a panicle, open to contracted, sometimes with only a few spikelets; spikelets solitary, pedicelled, pedicel articulated some distance below spikelet, long-hairy at articulation
• Spikelet 9-18 mm long, laterally compressed, falling with glumes and disarticulating between florets; glumes ± equal, as long as to longer than spikelet, keeled, membranous, pubescent, scabrid especially on nerves, awnless; lower glume 5-11-nerved; upper glume narrower, prominently and closely 3-5-nerved
• Florets 2-4; lower floret bisexual; upper floret reduced; lemmas decreasing in size upwards, lowest lemma 2.5-5.8 mm long, membranous, 7-9-nerved, glabrous or loosely hairy, 2-lobed, lobes with slender, usually long awns or lower lemma awnless, central awn arising between lobes, awn twisted in lower part, geniculate or straight; callus pungent, hairy; palea obscurely 2-nerved, hyaline
• Lodicules 2, fleshy, cuneate, glabrous
• Stamens 3
• Ovary glabrous; styles plumose above
• Caryopsis lorate, pale brown or yellow, surface smooth, dull
• x = 6

Nomenclature:

• Chaetobromus Nees
  • Nees ab Esenbeck: 449 (1836)
  • Stapf: 537 (1899)
  • Chippindall: 272 (1955)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 173 (1986)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 81 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 219 (1994)
  • Verboom & Linder: 57 (1998)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 1, S Namibia, Northern and Western Cape