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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Eragrostis anacrantha

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths glabrous; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 45–90 cm long. Culm-internodes eglandular. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths eglandular; without keel; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades involute; 3–30 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; eglandular. Leaf-blade surface glabrous to pilose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; elliptic, or oblong; 4–30 cm long. Primary panicle branches sterile at the tips. Panicle branches stiff; straight; eglandular; bearded in axils; with insignificant pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2.5–8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising (6–)8–13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; subterete; 4.5–6 mm long; 1.8–2.6 mm wide; persistent on plant (but shedding caryopsis), or breaking up at maturity (tardily); rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.8–1(–1.5) mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 1.2–1.6(–2) mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile florets divergent. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.6–1.9 mm long; membranous; yellow, or mid-green, or grey; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma margins eciliate, or pilose. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea bowed outwards; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.6–0.9 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric; 0.4 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Cope 1996.

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