Eragrostis fimbrillata Cope

Gramineae, T. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:2. 1999

Morphology General Habit

Caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 35 cm tall, erect, unbranched, eglandular, the nodes not exposed; basal leaf sheaths glabrous, chartaceous, terete, eglandular, persistent; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas up to 13 cm long and 0.5 mm in diameter, tightly involute and setaceous, ciliate or pilose at the extreme base, otherwise glabrous, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle 7–12 cm long, narrowly oblong-elliptic, loose and open, the spikelets evenly distributed on filiform pedicels 3–12 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 4.5–7.5 × 2.5–2.8 mm, oblong-elliptic, laterally compressed, 9–12-flowered, the florets disarticulating from the apex downwards, the rhachilla fragile; glumes subequal, 1.3–1.7 mm long, reaching from 1/2 to 2/3 the way along the adjacent lemmas, keeled, narrowly lanceolate in profile, thinly scaberulous especially above, subacute at the apex; lemmas 2–2.3 mm long, keeled, narrowly oblong-elliptic in profile, membranous with distinct lateral nerves, diverging from the rhachilla at less than 45°, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, pallid with purple apex to purple throughout, scaberulous above, minutely fimbriate at the obtuse apex; palea glabrous on the flanks, fimbriate at the apex, the keels slender, wingless, scabrid; anthers 3, 1.2–1.7 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis not seen.