467.000 Fuirena Rottb.

Annual or perennial herbs. Perennials with a woody rhizome. Culms with leaves and nodes throughout. Leaves usually flat. Ligule present, tubular. Inflorescence paniculate, consisting of 1-several clusters of spikelets or compound corymbs of spikelets, the inflorescence branches usually hairy. Spikelets of numerous overlapping glumes, the 2 lowest sterile, the upper with bisexual flowers. Glumes spirally arranged, sometimes 5-ranked, pubescent with the midrib excurrent into a mucro. Perianth segments 3 or 6, sometimes 0, sometimes in 2 whorls of differing type. Stamens 2-3. Stigmas 3. Nutlet sessile, triangular, obovoid.

Derivation of name: Jørgen Fuiren (Georgius Fuirenius), 1581-1628, Danish physician, botanist and plant collector.

Worldwide: 30 species in warm regions of the world.

Mozambique: 5 taxa.