Chloris barbata L. Sw. Fl. Ind. Occid. 1: 200. 1797.

Weed species aggressive, cultivated useful fodder, valuable for forage, tussock grass, native pasture species, decorative flower heads, reports of high contents of cyanogenic glycosides, ruderal species on disturbed ground, growing in poor soil, dry open habitats, grassland, rainforest.

18.1. Chloris barbata L. Sw. Fl. Ind. Occid. 1: 200. 1797.

Andropogon polydactylos L. Sp. Pl. ed.2: 1483. 1763. Chloris dandyana C.D. Adams. Phytologia 21: 408. 1971. Chloris inflata Link. Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 105. 1821. Chloris longifolia Steud. Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 205. 1854. Miscanthus polydactylos L. Voss, Vilm. Ill. Blumengartn. 1: 1191. 1895. Saccharum polydactylum L. Thunb. Fl. Jap. 42. 1784. Plants annual, stout, loosely tufted. Culms 15-90 cm long, decumbent. Internodes elliptical in section. Sheaths compressed and keeled. Ligule 0.3 mm long, a ring of hairs, truncate. Blades 5-35 cm by 2-3 mm, apex attenuate, filiform, the surface scaberulous. Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-15, 3-7 cm long, digitate. Rachis subterete. Spikelets packing broadside to rachis, regular. Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, cuneate, 2-3 mm long, laterally compressed, breaking up at maturity, disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded, obtuse. Glumes similar, persistent, reaching apex of florets, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume, 1.4 mm long, 0.6 times length of upper glume, lanceolate, membraneous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved, primary nerve smooth, or scaberulous, without lateral nerves, apex acute. Upper glume 2.5 mm long, as long as adjacent fertile lemma, lanceolate, membraneous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved, primary nerve smooth, or scaberulous, without lateral nerves, apex acute, mucronate. Florets: fertile lemma elliptic to oblong, laterally compressed, 2 mm long, cartilaginous, pallid, keeled, 3-nerved; mid-nerve ciliate, hairy above; lateral nerves closed to margins, margins ciliolate; hairs 1.5 mm long, apex obtuse, 1-awned; principal awn subapical, 6 mm long. Palea as long as lemma, elliptic, 2-nerved, apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets 2 in number, barren, separate, cuneate; 1-awned, 5 mm long, 2 per spikelet in number. Lodicules 2, fleshy, cuneate. Anthers 3, 0.7 mm long. Stigmas 2. Caryopsis

1.2 mm long, with adherent pericarp, fusiform, dorsally compressed.