Description:

• Annual or perennial, tufted, stoloniferous and rhizomatous
• Leaf blade expanded, folded or rolled, rounded or keeled and flabellate; ligule a short, fringed membrane or fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence of few to many 1-sided spike-like racemes, digitate or densely crowded on an elongated axis; spikelets solitary or in pairs, shortly pedicelled or subsessile
• Spikelet 1.2-5.0 mm long, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes; glumes unequal, shorter than spikelet to longer (at least upper glume), membranous, keeled, 1-nerved, awnless or with awn-point; upper glume acute to bidentate
• Florets 2-6; lowest floret bisexual; rarely all bisexual; lemma similar to firmer in texture than glumes, membranous or cartilaginous, dissimilar; lowest lemma keeled, usually hairy on margins or keels, or with a long tuft of hairs on upper part, 1-7-nerved, shortly 2-lobed, with a subapical awn, awn as long as or longer than body of lemma; callus usually minute, rounded or pungent, hairy; palea as long as lemma, 2-keeled, hyaline; remaining florets sterile or much reduced, sometimes male; second lemma spathulate or obovate, truncate, glabrous, awned, awn shorter than body of lemma; third and fourth lemma, if present, much reduced, uppermost often reduced to a bristle
• Lodicules 2, minute
• Stamens 3
• Ovary glabrous; styles plumose above
• Caryopsis ellipsoid, trigonous to lanceolate and subterete
• x = 10 (aneuploids, high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Chloris Sw.
  • Swartz: 25 (1788)
  • Stapf: (1900)
  • Chippindall: 196 (1955)
  • Launert: 47 (1970)
  • Renvoize: 337 (1974)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 236 (1986)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 82 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 235 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 55, tropical and warm temperate regions
• Southern Africa: Species 8, widespread