Andropogon aristatus Poiret in Lamarck, Encycl., Suppl. 1: 585. 1811; A. caricosus Linnaeus var. mollicomus (Kunth) Hackel; A. mollicomus Kunth.

Perennial. Culms geniculate to suberect, 20–60 cm tall, nodes glabrous or pubescent. Leaf sheaths usually longer than internodes; leaf blades flat, 1.5–8(–20) × 0.3–0.6 cm, glabrous or thinly pilose on both surfaces; ligule ca. 0.6 mm, minutely fimbriate. Inflorescence terminal; peduncle softly pilose near the summit; racemes (1–)2–4, subdigitate, 2–5 cm, with 1–6 pairs of homogamous spikelets. Sessile spikelet 3–5 mm; lower glume obovate, subleathery, 8–10-veined, pubescent on lower back, slightly glossy, margins glabrous or shortly ciliate, keels often narrowly winged, apex rounded; upper glume glabrous or ciliate along margins and keel; awn 1.2–2 cm. Caryopsis ca. 1.8 mm. Pedicelled spikelet many-veined, resembling sessile. Fl. and fr. Jun–Nov. 2n = 20, 40, 60.

This species is very close to, and may simply be a variant of, Di-chanthium caricosum.

Hill slopes; 500–1500 m. Taiwan, Yunnan [India, Indonesia, Malaysia; introduced elsewhere].