T.A. Cope (1995) Leptothrium. Flora of Somalia 4: 216.
Plants perennial. Inflorescences terminal panicles composed of numerous branchlets racemosely attached to an elongate central axis; branchlets with composed of (1-)2 spikelets, side by side on the truncate tips of cuneate peduncles. Spikelets with 1 floret; glumes exceeding the florets, indurate. smooth or tuberculate-spinulose, lower glumes usually modified into a long, flat, recurved, acuminate tail, upper glumes usually laterally compressed and enfolding the floret, vary rarely resembling the lower florets; lemmas 1-veined, acute.
Leptothrium includes three species. One is native to the tropical areas of the Americas, the others tropical areas of Africa and the Arabian peninsula.
Note: GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution.