Eragrostis lehmanniana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths papery; pallid; without ribs; glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–60 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches sparse. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 50–100 cm long; 1.5–2.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic, or ovate; 6–20 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 4–8 mm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; fragile above; with the distal florets disarticulating separately.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1.2–2 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5 mm long; membranous; pallid, or dark green, or grey, or red; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels smooth, or scaberulous; eciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.7 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 0.6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical and south. North America: Mexico.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr S Afr 1993.

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