Perennial with scaly rhizomes, the basal sheaths glabrous or silky pubescent; culms 25–120 cm. high, soft; nodes glabrous. Leaf-blades 5–30 cm. long, 2–7 mm. wide. Inflorescence narrowly ovate, of 6–25 racemes borne irregularly or in untidy whorls upon an axis 4–20 cm. long, this often, but not always, longer than the racemes, with or without occasional long white hairs; racemes 4–10 cm. long, the spikelets paired (or sometimes the pedicel forked) on a triquetrous rhachis. Spikelets elliptic, 2–2.6 mm. long; lower glume triangular to ovate, 0.1–0.5 mm. long; upper glume 3/4 to almost as long as the spikelet, 3(–5)-nerved, pubescent to pilose; lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 7-nerved, pubescent to pilose with fine soft smooth hairs, the hairs not extending beyond the spikelet; fruit ellipsoid, brown.
Range
DISTR. T1, 3, 4, 7
Altitude range
0–2000 m.
Distribution
TANZANIA Ufipa District Kampunda, 7 Jan. 1950, Bullock 3603! & Chitukutu, 28 Feb. 1954, Siame 437a!TANZANIA Mbeya District Igurusi-Utengule, Jan. 1963, Procter 2372!
Distribution (external)
Zambia
Mozambique
Notes
A somewhat variable species centred on Tanzania and Zambia. It is commonly confused with D. gazensis, from which it may be distinguished by the brown fruit. It merges on the one hand with D. rivae, and on the other with D. arushae.
