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 simpliciflora

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10–30 cm long; 0.7–1 mm diam. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 2–4 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.1 mm long. Leaf-blades involute; 7–15 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; scaberulous; rough adaxially; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; terminal, or terminal and axillary.

Panicle open; ovate, or pyramidal; 4–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 2–4 cm long. Panicle branches stiff; glabrous in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels 0.2–0.5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 12–24 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 9–24 mm long; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.6–2 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 2.1–2.5 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 3.4–3.8 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3(–5) -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea bowed outwards; 0.66 length of lemma. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.3 mm long; purple.

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

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Fl Costa Rica 1994.

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