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 cilianensis

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Glands wart-like (on keel). Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–90 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 5–15 cm long; 2–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins glandular, or eglandular.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; ovate; dense, or loose; 4–30 cm long. Panicle branches stiff; glandular.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; glandular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–60 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 3–20 mm long; 2–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; tough throughout, or fragile above; with the distal florets falling as a whole.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.5–2.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; eglandular, or glandular (on keel); 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.5–2.2 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; eglandular, or glandular; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate, or orbicular; (1.3–)2–2.8 mm long; chartaceous; yellow, or grey; glandular on veins (keel); keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma apex emarginate, or obtuse. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular; 0.5(–0.7) mm long; dark brown, or red.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern and north-central. North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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