Eragrostis tenella

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 6–50 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 2–9 cm long; 1–3 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear (var insularis), or elliptic, or pyramidal; 2–14 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading, or appressed (var insularis). Panicle branches glandular; without exudate; glabrous in axils, or bearded in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate, or obovate; laterally compressed; 1.5–2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.5–1 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5–1 mm long; 0.8–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong, or ovate; 0.7–1 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein without distinctive roughness, or scaberulous. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.2 mm long.

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

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Eragrostideae. =Eragrostis tenella. FTEA.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Palea hairs 0.1–0.3mm, less than width of floret.

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