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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 spectabilis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; knotty. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 40–75 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 15–40 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; deciduous as a whole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; effuse; 25–45 cm long; 15–30 cm wide; 0.66 of culm length. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 9–15 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; straight; scabrous; bearded in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–11 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5–7 mm long; 1.5–2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla deciduous; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.4–2 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.6–2.2 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 1.8–2.2 mm long; chartaceous; purple; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.8 mm long; dark brown.

DISTRIBUTION North America: eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr Texas 1994.

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