Plants annual or perennial; cespitose, sometimes with extensive creeping stolons. Culms 15-200 cm. Leaves usually not aromatic; ligules membranous, sometimes ciliate; blades 2-4 mm wide. Inflorescences terminal, sometimes also axillary but the axillary inflorescences not numerous; peduncles with 1-many rames in digitate or subdigitate clusters; rames sometimes naked basally, axes terete to slightly flattened, without a translucent, longitudinal groove, bearing 1-many sessile-pedicellate spikelet pairs and a terminal triplet of 1 sessile and 2 pedicellate spikelets, basal pair(s) homomorphic and homogamous, staminate or sterile, unawned, persistent, distal spikelet pairs homomorphic but heterogamous, sessile spikelets bisexual and awned, pedicellate spikelets staminate or sterile and unawned; disarticulation in the rames, beneath the bisexual sessile spikelets. Sessile spikelets often imbricate, dorsally compressed, with blunt calluses; lower glumes chartaceous to cartilaginous, broadly convex to slightly concave, sometimes pitted; lower florets reduced, sterile; upper florets sterile or staminate and unawned in the homogamous pairs, bisexual and awned in the heterogamous pairs; awns 1-3.5 cm, usually glabrous; anthers (2)3. Pedicels free of the rame axes, terete to somewhat flattened, slender, not grooved. Pedicellate spikelets sterile or staminate. x = 10. Name from the Greek dicha, in two, as in two separate things, and anthos, flower, a reference to the presence of homogamous and heterogamous spikelets.

Dichanthium, a genus of 20 species, grows in habitats ranging from subdeserts to marshlands in tropical Asia and Australia. It is frequently found in disturbed areas, and some species are considered to provide good forage. Three species have been introduced to the Flora region, one of which is sometimes used as a lawn grass.

1.   Dichanthium sericeum (R. Br.) A. Camus
Queensland Bluegrass

Plants annual or perennial; tufted or cespitose. Culms 50-120 cm; nodes densely pilose, hairs about 2 mm. Sheaths with scattered papillose-based hairs; ligules 1-2 mm; blades 5-25 cm long, 2-5 mm wide. Rames 1-7, 3-7 cm, subdigitate, often glaucous and white-villous, spikelet-bearing to the base, basal spikelet pairs consisting only of glumes; internodes pubescent, hairs immediately below the nodes to 1.5 mm. Sessile bisexual spikelets 2.5-4.5 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide; lower glumes 5-10-veined, with 0.7-1.5 mm hairs on the basal 1/2 and about 3 mm papillose-based hairs on the distal portion of the keels and in a transverse subapical arch; awns 2-3.5 cm, twice-geniculate. Pedicellate spikelets about 3 mm, usually sterile. 2n = 20.

Dichanthium sericeum is an Australian species. There are two subspecies: D. sericeum (R. Br.) A. Camus subsp. sericeum is a perennial with sessile spikelets 4-4.5 mm long and to 1-1.4 mm wide, 9-10-veined lower glumes, and rames more than 4 cm long; D. sericeum subsp. humilius (J.M. Black) B.K. Simon is an annual, with sessile spikelets up to 4 mm long and about 1 mm wide, 5-7-veined lower glumes, and rames less than 4 cm long. Dichanthium sericeum subsp. sericeum is established in Texas and Florida.

2.   Dichanthium aristatum (Poir.) C.E. Hubb.
Awned Dichanthium

Plants perennial; stoloniferous, stolons often 2 m or longer. Culms 70-100 cm, decumbent, erect portions generally about 35 cm, pubescent beneath the inflorescences; nodes glabrous or densely short pubescent. Sheaths glabrous; ligules 1-1.3 mm; blades 6-25 cm long, 3-6 mm wide, glabrous or hispid. Rames (2)3-5(8), 4-7 cm, subdigitate, erect to divergent, bases pilose, without spikelets; internodes pilose. Sessile spikelets 4-5 mm; lower glumes more or less obovate, often involute, margins ciliate basally, keels winged distally, apices obtuse; awns 1.5-2.5 cm, twice-geniculate. Pedicellate spikelets 4-5 mm, usually staminate. 2n = 20.

Dichanthium aristatum was introduced to the Americas from southern Asia. It is sometimes used as a lawn grass in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

3.   Dichanthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf
Ringed Dichanthium

Plants perennial; stoloniferous. Culms to 100 cm, decumbent, erect portions generally to 60 cm, often branched above the bases, glabrous beneath the inflorescences; nodes glabrous or short-pubescent. Sheaths glabrous; ligules 1-1.8 mm, truncate; blades 3-30 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, scabrous, sparsely pilose, hairs sometimes papillose-based. Rames 2-9, 2.5-7 cm, subdigitate, erect to ascending, bases without spikelets, glabrous, internodes ciliate on the margins. Sessile spikelets 2.5-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide; lower glumes elliptic or oblong, sparsely pubescent below, apices obtuse, irregularly 2-3-toothed, 5-9-veined; upper glumes 3-veined; awns 1.3-2.2 cm, twice-geniculate. Pedicellate spikelets 2.5-5 mm, usually staminate. 2n = 20, 40.

Dichanthium annulatum is native to southeastern Asia and is a highly esteemed forage grass, especially in India. It is now established at scattered locations in Texas and Louisiana.

2009, February: The records for Florida have been deleted because Bruce Hanson and Richard Wunderlin, after diligent searching were unable to find any specimens documenting the presence of the species in the state.