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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 desolata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pilose. Glands sunken crateriform and annular. Culms erect; 40–70 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flexuous; filiform; involute; 5–12 cm long; 0.5–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic, or ovate; 10–30 cm long; 8–15 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1 -nate. Panicle axis smooth, or scaberulous. Panicle branches glandular; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets spreading; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 2–8 mm long; glandular; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 8–14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5–9 mm long; 4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.6 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.6 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; 1.8–2 mm long; 1.4–1.6 mm wide; membranous; dark green, or grey; keeled; lightly keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; 0.4 mm long; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; quadrangular; 0.8–1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Launert 1993.

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