Perennial, forming large tussocks with thick tough roots; culms 60-150(-200) cm high, erect. Leaf-blades narrowly linear, 15-40 cm long, 1-5 mm wide, rigid, tightly folded, ribbed on the outside, the ribs smoothly flat-topped on the inside; sheaths markedly keeled and imbricate. Panicle linear, 10-25 cm long; rhachis with shallow angular ribs below the cupular scars, scaberulous; involucre enclosing 1 sessile spikelet, the base with a short oblong stipe 0.3-0.5 mm long; bristles glabrous, the longest 6-30 mm long. Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 6.5-11 mm long; lower glume up to a quarter the length of the spikelet, acute, rotund or truncate; upper glume one-third to half as long as the spikelet, acute to emarginate; lemmas similar, the lower male or barren, the upper firmer in texture; anther tips with or without a minute tuft of hairs.

Type: India, Hohenacker 930 (K).

Distribution: Pakistan (Sind); tropical Africa, Madagascar and Western India.

Asian specimens of Pennisetum hohenackeri often have a truncate lower glume, but never have penicillate anthers; in Africa the reverse is true. However, many specimens from both regions are otherwise identical, and it seems impracticable to recognise more than one taxon.

This species has, to date, been collected only once in Pakistan, by Dalzell. The Quetta collection cited by Stewart cannot be confirmed.