Description from Flora of China
Holcus pertusus Linnaeus, Mant. Pl. 2: 301. 1771; Am-philophis pertusa (Linnaeus) Stapf; Andropogon pertusus (Linnaeus) Willdenow; Bothriochloa nana W. Z. Fang; Dichan-thium pertusum (Linnaeus) Clayton.
Perennial, often stoloniferous, sward forming. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, up to 100 cm tall, 5- or more-noded, nodes bearded. Leaf sheaths keeled; leaf blades linear, 5–20 × 0.1–0.4 cm, tubercle-based hairs on both surfaces or abaxial surface glabrous, apex acute; ligule 0.5–2 mm. Inflorescence composed of 3–5(–)8 racemes, subdigitate; racemes 3–8 cm, tinged purplish; rachis internodes and pedicels ciliate with long silky hairs. Sessile spikelet 3–4.5 mm; lower glume narrowly elliptic, cartilaginous, back concave, 5–7-veined, glossy, sparsely hirtellous to silky-pilose below middle, a circular pit above hairs, 2-keeled, margins keeled and scabrid near apex; awn of upper lemma 1–2 cm. Pedicelled spikelet male or barren, pur-plish, subequal to sessile spikelet, glabrous. Fl. and fr. Jul–Oct. 2n = 40, 60.
The type of Bothriochloa nana is a stunted specimen of B. pertusa with the spikelets infected by a smut fungus.
Grassy hills, disturbed ground; 1200–1500 m. Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan [India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam; introduced in Australia and United States].