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 remotiflora

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10–55 cm long; 1–4 -noded. Leaf-sheaths glandular; keeled. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 8–17 cm long; 2–3 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins glandular. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open; ovate; 5–20 cm long; 3–14 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–2 -nate; whorled at lower nodes. Panicle branches eglandular, or glandular; glabrous in axils, or bearded in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; 1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; shedding paleas. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5 mm long; 0.25–0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.5 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; overlapping 0–0.1 their length. Fertile lemma ovate; 1–1.8 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels smooth, or scaberulous; eciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.3–0.4 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; sulcate on hilar side. Embryo 0.66 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr S Afr 1993.

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