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 uvida

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 47–80(–120) cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes terete, or channelled; eglandular. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths tight; eglandular. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 0.3–0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; eglandular; scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle eglandular.

Panicle contracted; linear; interrupted; 18–37 cm long; 1–5 cm wide; 0.5 of culm length. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–3 -nate; not whorled, or whorled at most nodes; 3–8.5 cm long; naked below, or bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis eglandular. Panicle branches eglandular; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5–1 mm long; eglandular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 11–25 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 3.5–8 mm long; 1–1.3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes zig-zag; 0.2–0.3 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 0.4–0.6 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels, or 1-keeled; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 0.4–0.6 mm long; 0.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex emarginate, or obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 0.7–1 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins ribbed. Lemma apex emarginate, or obtuse; muticous, or mucronate. Palea oblanceolate; with flaps as wide as body; hyaline; 2 -veined. Palea keels falling well short of apex. Palea apex dentate; 3 -fid; acute; scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 2; 0.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; isodiametric; 0.4–0.5 mm long; obtuse.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Lazarides 1997.

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