ANDROPOGONEAE - paired spikelets - one pedicellate and often reduced (mostly male or sterile - can be tiny or respreseneted only by its pedicel), the other sessile.

1) Open or compact panicle

Erianthus - Big (usually over 2 m) hairy panicle (except E. strictus)

Imperata - White fluffy 10 cm compact panicle - appears cottony, erect light green lvs.

Sorghastrum - Long awns - golden hairs on Fls.

Sorghum - Flowers not very hairy, often with 2 sterile pedicellate spikelets instead of 1 (especially apically). H. bicolor is annual, H. halapense has big rhizomes.

2) Open panicle of racemes

Bothriochloa - Digitate to alternate racemes, 1st glume with a pit. (2 ssp. now)

Thick - cylindrical - smooth - spikelike single racemes

Coelorachis/Manisurus - m/f pairs, spikelets breaking apart easily, most common sp. M. rugosa has rugose ff spikelets..

Tripsacum - separate male & female inflorescences on the same plant.  Males paired, females don’t appear paired but are anatomically.

Elyonurus - m/f pairs, bright white hairs, semi-cylindrical spikes.

Heteropogon - Panicle of single racemes (not fluffy hairy), very long awns, drill spikelets.  (2 sp.) H.contortus has one raceme and is perennial, H. melanocarpus has many and is annual.

Schizachyrium - single thin racemes - often many on a plant. sometimes fluffy hairy.

Eremochloa - tiny running mat former with thin single spikes.  1 sp. (centipede grass).

Paired racemes - somewhat to very hairy.

Andropogon - Paired racemes (usually fluffy hairy) - usually many per plant.

Hyparrhenia -  racemes short, dark hairy (not white), upper lemma 2-cleft. Whole plant dark reddish. H. rufa only.

Cymbopogon - (very rare exotic) aromatic green/bluish foliage, racemes reflexed, otherwise like Hyparrhenia.  C. jwarancusa only.