Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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 bicolor
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths papery; pallid; glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; ovate; loose, or effuse; 3–16 cm long; 2–8 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 4–7 mm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; fragile above; with the distal florets disarticulating into irregular segments. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.
GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 1.5 mm long; membranous; purple and yellow; tipped with last colour; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels approximate; smooth, or scaberulous; eciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.8–1.2 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical and south.
NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr S Afr 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.