1	"Plants annual, sometimes stoloniferous"	2
1	"Plants perennial, always stoloniferous"	3
2	"Inflorescences open, the branches 1.2-6.5(-7.5) cm long, linear to narrowly oblong, ascending or radiating; lemmas acute and with a short cusp or mucro; grain transversely rugose"	"Dactyloctenium aegyptium"
2	"Inflorescences compact, branches 0.8-1.8(-2.6) cm long, oblong to broadly oblong, closely clustered; lemmas conspicuusly acuminate-mucronate; grain granular or granular striate"	"Dactyloctenium aristatum"
3	"Leaves short, rigid, distichous, and pungent"	"Dactyloctenium robecchii"
3	"Leaves soft or rigid, if rigid, neither distichous nor pungent"	4
4	"Infloresence compact; branches 0.8-2 cm long, oblong, always slightly curved"	"Dactyloctenium scindicum"
4	"Inflorescence open; branches 2-7 cm long, linear to narrowly oblong, straight or slightly curved"	"Dactyloctenium geminatum"