Description:

• Annual, tufted
• Leaf blade broadly linear, tapering to hair-like tip, expanded, soft; ligule a fringed membrane to a fringe of hairs
• Inflorescence of 5-10 spike-like racemes, digitate or subdigitate or along central axis, 1-sided; spikelets solitary
• Spikelet oblong with serrated outline, laterally compressed, lemmas disarticulating from below, leaving palea and rachilla, or spikelets falling entire or in parts; glumes ± equal, similar, shorter than spikelet, membranous; lower glume ovate-lanceolate, 1-nerved, with nerve mucronate, keeled, scabrid on keel; upper glume lanceolate, awned
• Florets 8-20, bisexual, upper reduced; lemmas ± similar, ovate, similar to, to firmer in texture than glumes, membranous, glabrous, keeled, keel scabrid above, deeply concave, shortly 2-lobed, 3-nerved, central nerve produced into an awn; awn short, 0.3-0.9 mm long, stout, straight; callus 0; palea as long as lemma, lanceolate, 2-keeled, deeply channelled between keels
• Lodicules 2, small, cuneate, glabrous
• Stamens 3
• Ovary ellipsoid, glabrous; styles distinct, plumose
• Caryopsis ellipsoid, surface with ornamentation; pericarp free
• x = 9 (1 report)

Nomenclature:

• Acrachne Wight & Arn. ex Chiov.
  • Chiovenda: 361 (1907)
  • Chippindall: 132 (1955)
  • Pilger: 29 (1956)
  • Launert: 18 (1970)
  • Phillips: 258 (1974)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 222 (1986)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 31 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 68 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 3, Africa, SE Asia and Australia
• Southern Africa: Species 1: Acrachne racemosa (Roem. & Schult.) Ohwi, Namibia, Northern Province, Mpumalanga and Swaziland