Eleusine Gaertn.
Type species: E. coracana (L.) Gaertn.
Annual or perennial tufts. Leaf-sheath strongly keeled. Ligule membranous, usually ciliate. Leaf-blade usually folded. Inflorescence of several digitate or subdigitate racemes; rachis < longest raceme, narrowly winged, bearing spikelets in 2 rows on one side, and terminating in a single spikelet. Spikelets several-flowered, imbricate; disarticulation above glumes and usually between florets; rachilla prolonged. Florets ⚥. Glumes persistent, often keeled, awnless; lower 1-3-nerved; upper 1-3-(7)-nerved. Lemma strongly keeled, mem-branous, glabrous, obtuse or acute, sometimes shortly mucronate; keels sometimes thickened and containing 1-3 closely spaced subsidiary nerves. Palea < lemma, 2-keeled, keels often narrowly winged. Lodicules ± cuneate. Stamens 3. Caryopsis ellipsoid to subglobose, ± trigonous, flat or concave on hilar face, rugose; pericarp free.
Key
Spp. 9, mostly of eastern and north-eastern tropical Africa, but 1 sp. widespread, E. indica, and 1 sp. of South America, E. tristachya. Naturalised spp. 2.
