New! - Search other data sources for Eragrostis phyllacantha

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 phyllacantha

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose. Butt sheaths hirsute. Glands sunken crateriform. Culms erect; 10–25 cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes eglandular. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches sparse; arising from lower culm. Leaf-sheaths eglandular; without keel; hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades involute; 1–3.5 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; stiff; eglandular. Leaf-blade surface hirsute; hairy abaxially; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 3.5–5 cm long. Panicle branches stiff; eglandular, or glandular; bearded in axils; with insignificant pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.8–1.5 mm long; glandular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3–4 mm long; 1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; fragile above. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.3–1.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.3–1.5 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5–1.7 mm long; membranous; grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough on veins. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.6–0.8 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.7 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical and south.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Cope 1996.

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