Elegant Rat-Tail Grass is a coarse annual grass with
stems up to 1.5 m tall, erect, supported by stilt-roots. Leaves are
4-20 x 0.5-3 cm, lanceshaped, heart-shaped at the base and often
stem-clasping, hairless or bristlyulous, the margins finely
pectinate-fringed with hairs. Inflorescence is composed of 2-17
racemes, the lowermost whorled, the uppermost borne on a short common
axis 1-5 cm long. Racemes are 5-15 cm long, very fragile. Stalkless
spikelets are 5-13 mm long; inferior glume narrowly ovate; superior
lemma with an awn 1.52.5 cm long. Flower-stalk a little longer than
the stalkless spikelet, hairless. Elegant Rat-Tail Grass is native to
Tropical Africa to Namibia, India to W. Indo-China, S. Malesia.