Description:

• Perennial or annual; tufted or decumbent, often rooting at nodes, often rhizomatous, sometimes wiry
• Leaf blade linear, expanded or rolled; ligule an unfringed or fringed membrane
• Inflorescence a raceme or sometimes reduced to 1-3 spikelets, spike-like or racemes scattered up central axis; spikelets solitary, pedicellate, alternating in 2 rows on opposite sides of tough rachis
• Spikelet 10-44 mm long, slightly laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and between florets; glumes unequal to ± equal, shorter than spikelet, similar, rounded on back, obtuse to shortly awned or awnless, membranous; lower glume 5-7-nerved; upper glume 7-9-nerved
• Florets 5-22, bisexual or uppermost floret sometimes reduced and sterile, densely imbricate at first; lemma similar in texture to glumes, rounded on back, glabrous, 7-9-nerved, entire, awned, awn straight, slender; callus short, obtuse, glabrous; palea slightly shorter than lemma, 2-keeled, pectinate-ciliate along keels
• Lodicules 2, lanceolate, apex usually truncate
• Stamens 3
• Ovary hairy with villous appendage at apex; styles laterally inserted on appendage
• x = 5, 7, 9, 10 (aneuploids, high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Brachypodium P.Beauv.
  • Palisot de Beauvois: 100, 155 (1812)
  • Stapf: 735 (1900)
  • Chippindall: 68 (1955)
  • Clayton: 71 (1970)
  • Launert: 62 (1971)
  • Smith: 189 (1980)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 149 (1986)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 70 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 184 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 16, temperate Eurasian, tropical mountains, Mexico to Bolivia
• Southern Africa: Species 3, northern provinces of South Africa, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, S Northern, Western and Eastern Cape