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 hypnoides

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Stolons present. Culms prostrate; 10–25 cm long; 0.2–0.5 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 4–30 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 2–4 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 0.5–2.5 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous to pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels reduced to a stump; 0.5–1 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 15–32 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8–14 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.6–0.8 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 0.9–1.2 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate, or trullate; 1.8–2.2 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate. Palea 0.5 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 2; 0.2 mm long; pallid.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.4–0.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr Texas 1994.

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