New! - Search other data sources for Eragrostis astreptoclada

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

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

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

Eragrostis astreptoclada

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 35–70 cm long. Culm-internodes eglandular. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; eglandular; without keel; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 10–20 cm long; 0.4–0.6 mm wide; eglandular. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate; hairy at base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or oblong; loose; 30–35 cm long. Primary panicle branches without sterile bristles, or sterile at the tips. Panicle branches stiff; straight; eglandular; glabrous in axils; with insignificant pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels flexuous; 1–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 3–4.5 mm long; 1–1.8 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; shedding paleas; fragile above. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.6–1.1 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.6–1.1 mm long; 0.2–0.33 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets divergent. Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 1.4–1.6 mm long; membranous; pallid, or grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy on flanks. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.8–0.9 mm long.

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

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Cope 1996.

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