Eragrostis aethiopica

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 3–20 cm long; 1–3 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; effuse; 6–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches not whorled, or whorled at lower nodes. Panicle branches straight; glabrous in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–18 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 1.7–5 mm long; 0.7–1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; shedding paleas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.3–0.5 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.6–0.8 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla. Fertile lemma ovate; 0.7–1 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea keels smooth. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.1–0.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.4–0.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.