Eragrostis crateriformis

HABIT Annual. Glands sunken crateriform. Culms geniculately ascending; 17–42 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes terete, or elliptical in section; glandular. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths tight; eglandular; smooth; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1–3 mm long. Leaf-blades involute, or convolute; 1–3 mm wide; without scent, or aromatic. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; eglandular; scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle glandular.

Panicle contracted; elliptic; 10–15 cm long; 2–10 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 1–4 -nate; not whorled, or whorled at most nodes; simple, or sparsely divided; 3–6 cm long. Panicle axis glandular. Panicle branches glandular.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 4–8 mm long; glandular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 8–14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 2.7–4.3 mm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; shedding paleas. Rhachilla internodes curved; 0.3 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear, or ovate; 0.4–0.6 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; hyaline, or membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 0.7–1 mm long; 0.9–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline, or membranous; 1-keeled; 1(–3) -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Upper glume apex truncate, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets divergent. Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong, or ovate; 0.8–1 mm long; membranous; keeled; (1–)3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins close to margins; extending close to apex, or stopping well short of apex, or less than two thirds length of lemma. Lemma apex emarginate, or obtuse. Palea oblanceolate; hyaline; 2 -veined. Palea keels falling well short of apex; smooth. Palea apex dentate; 3 -fid; emarginate, or obtuse; scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 0.3–0.4 mm long; red.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Lazarides 1997.

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