Themeda

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Themeda (kangaroo grasses; family Gramineae) A genus of coarse, tussock-forming, perennial grasses whose spikelets are borne on racemes in pairs, usually one stalked and sterile, the other sessile and fertile. The racemes are single or paired, or held in a panicle with many branches. There are usually subtending leaves with the inflorescence. There are 19 species, found in southern and eastern Africa, Asia, and Australia. The genus includes T. triandra, the dominant grass of the savannah areas of tropical Africa, and T. australis, which is important in Australia.