Chloris dolichostachya Lagasca, Gen. Sp. Pl. 5. 1816.

Perennial. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, sometimes rooting at lower nodes, (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) m tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous or tuberculate-hispid, especially on margin, pilose at mouth; leaf blades linear, flat or rolled, 15–45 cm, 4–15 mm wide, scabrous, often tuberculate-hispid near ligule, apex setaceous; ligule ca. 0.4 mm. Racemes digitate, 3–10, ascending at first, later divaricate or drooping, 10–20 cm; rachis triquetrous, scabrous. Spikelets with 2 florets, 5–7 mm; lower glume linear-lanceolate, 2–3 mm; upper glume lanceolate, 3–5 mm, awn-pointed; lemma of fertile floret oblong-lanceolate, 3.5–5 mm, glabrous, scabrous along either side of midvein and toward apex; awn 8–16 mm; palea linear-lanceolate, narrower than lemma, keels scabrous; upper floret reduced to an oblong 0.8–1.8 mm lemma with 2–5 mm awn, appressed to fertile floret. Fl. and fr. Mar–Nov.

Enteropogon has traditionally been separated from Chloris on the basis of inflorescence form. Enteropogon has a single raceme, whereas Chloris has several digitate racemes. Thus this species has frequently been placed in Chloris. However, this inflorescence character is unreliable for separating the two genera, and a better separation is achieved on the basis of lemma and caryopsis compression, in which case this species falls within Enteropogon.

River valleys, fields, banks, roadsides, and thicket on hills; 200–1000 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, S Taiwan, S Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand; N and NE Australia].