New! - Search other data sources for Eragrostis conrathii

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 conrathii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 10–40 cm long; 0 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 3–10 cm long; 2 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; aerial.

Panicle spiciform; oblong; 2.5–3 cm long; 0.6–1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 1 -nate. Panicle axis smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 1.7–3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1–2 mm long; membranous; yellow, or purple; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.6 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; yellow, or purple; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.8 mm long; membranous; yellow, or purple; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Palea apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 2; 1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Hackel 1998.

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