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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 venustula
HABIT Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Glands sunken crateriform, or elongated. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 15–35 cm long. Culm-internodes eglandular, or glandular. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths glandular; without keel; pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat; 2–8 cm long; 1–3.5 mm wide; eglandular. Leaf-blade surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; elliptic, or oblong; loose; 4–14 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending. Panicle branches stiff; eglandular; glabrous in axils; with insignificant pulvini.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels straight; 3–5.5 mm long; glandular.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–16 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 2–3.5 mm long; 1.2–1.8 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; tough throughout, or fragile above. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate, or oblong; 0.4–0.6 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic, or oblong; 0.9–1.1 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume margins villous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile florets divergent. Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 1–1.3 mm long; membranous; pallid and purple; suffused with last colour, or tipped with last colour; keeled; lightly keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface asperulous; pilose; hairy on veins; with tubercle-based hairs. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.15–0.3(–0.5) mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular; dorsally compressed; 0.4–0.5 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.
NOTES Eragrostideae. Cope 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
