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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 nilgiriensis
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Glands wart-like. Culms geniculately ascending; 5–35 cm long. Culm-internodes 1–7 cm long; glandular (below node); distally glabrous. Culm-nodes brown, or purple. Leaf-sheaths 5 cm long; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 5–7 cm long; 2–4.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins eglandular. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle 5–11 cm long; glandular (below panicle).
Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 3.5–10 cm long; 1.5–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 2–4 cm long. Panicle branches glandular; with occasional prickles.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 1–3 mm long; glandular; scaberulous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–20(–28) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 4–13 mm long; 1–1.65 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.
GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.7–1.2 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous, or chartaceous; dark green; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous, or chartaceous; dark green; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; 1.3–1.8 mm long; chartaceous; dark green; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Palea lanceolate, or elliptic; 1.3–1.7 mm long; 1 length of lemma; 1-keeled. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.1 mm long; truncate. Anthers 3; 0.2–0.3 mm long; pallid, or purple.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid, or ovoid, or orbicular; 0.45–0.7 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Eragrostideae. Vivek et al 2014.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
