Flora of New Zealand Series

Type species: M. capensis (Nees) Andersson

Robust, tufted, tall bamboo-like perennials. Leaf-sheath loose. Ligule a truncate densely ciliate rim. Leaf-blade long, rather narrow. Culm erect, solid, leafy. Inflorescence a large, fan-shaped or corymbiform, loose, open panicle; branches consisting of long racemes with very tough glabrous rachis bearing many paired spikelets on unequal glabrous pedicels. Spikelets 2-flowered, surrounded by an involucre of long fine hairs from the very short obtuse callus; lower floret Ø; upper floret ⚥. Glumes ± chartaceous, muticous. Lower floret: lemma hyaline, awnless; palea 0. Upper floret: lemma shorter, hyaline, bidentate at apex with delicate awn arising in the notch; palea small, hyaline, nerveless; lodicules 2, cuneate, truncate, glabrous, or 0; stamens 2, or 3; ovary apex glabrous, styles free; caryopsis oblong, embryo ½ length of caryopsis, hilum punctiform or elliptic, < ½ length of caryopsis. Fig. 24.

20 spp. in tropical regions, also in South Africa, Japan and the Philippines. Naturalised spp. 2.