Compilation
Oplismenus africanus

perennial; culms ascending from an often long decumbent rooting base, 1–1 1/2 ft. high, slightly compressed below; sheaths rather tight, strongly striate, finely villous or ciliate along the outer margin, otherwise glabrous except a transverse villous line at the junction with the blade (in the African specimens), rarely more or less hirsute; ligules up to 1/2 lin. long; blades lanceolate from a slightly rounded base, acuminate, 2–5 in. by 4–7 lin. (those of the lower leaves and barren shoots often much smaller and ovate-anceolate), flat, thin, dull green, soft, scantily and minutely hairy to almost velvety below, scaberulous above, at least upwards, margins scabrid; racemes 3–8 on an erect straight or flexuous more or less 3-winged glabrous or finely hairy axis, the lower distant, erect or obliquely spreading, 3–9 lin. long, rarely longer, the upper closer, much shorter or reduced to 2–3-spiculate clusters, the axis usually terminated by a solitary spikelet; rhachis of racemes straight, triangular, dorsally flat, greyish from very minute adpressed hairs, usually fringed with tubercle-based bristles (in the African specimens), tomentose of hispid at the base; pedicels 2-nate or solitary, very short and stout, usually with a few bristles; spikelets ovate-oblong, about 1 1/3 lin. long, greyish-green or green, minutely bearded at the base; glumes subequal, 1–1 1/2 lin. long, thinly herbaceous, ovate to elliptic, produced into filiform subobtuse smooth more or less viscous often purplish awns, hairy at least near the margins, rarely quite glabrous, lower 5-nerved, awn 3–6 lin. long, upper 7–5-nerved, awn 1–2 lin. long; lower floret barren, rarely ♂, equalling the spikelet; valve 9–7-nerved obscurely or shortly mucronate; hermaphrodite floret lanceolate-oblong, acute or obscurely cuspidate, 1–1 1/2 lin. long, whitish, smooth, shining; valve coriaceous, 7-nerved; anthers 3/4– 7/8 lin. long; grain 1 lin. long. null