Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis sericata Cope

First published in Kew Bull. 53: 163 (1998)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mozambique. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths papery; without ribs; villous. Culms erect; 50-95 cm long. Culm-internodes eglandular. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; eglandular; without keel; hirsute. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 10-20 cm long; 2-3.5 mm wide; eglandular. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 12-15 cm long. Panicle branches eglandular; glabrous in axils; with insignificant pulvini. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2-5 mm long; eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 11-13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; laterally compressed; 7-8 mm long; 4-4.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 11-13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; laterally compressed; 7-8 mm long; 4-4.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 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 lanceolate; 2 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets divergent. Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; 2.7-3 mm long; membranous; grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Africa: southern tropical.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Cope 1996.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 95 cm tall, erect, unbranched, eglandular, the nodes concealed within the leaf sheaths; basal leaf sheaths densely silky-villous, chartaceous, terete, eglandular, persistent; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas up to 20 cm × 3.5 mm, linear, flat or loosely involute, glabrous or thinly pilose, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 12–15 cm long, ovate, very loose and open, the spikelets evenly distributed on pedicels 2–5 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 7–8 × 4–4.5 mm, elliptic-ovate, laterally compressed, 11–13-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent; glumes unequal, reaching to the middle of the adjacent lemmas, keeled, narrowly lanceolate in profile, glabrous, acute at the apex, the inferior c. 1.7 mm long, the superior c. 2 mm long; lemmas 2.7–3 mm long, keeled, narrowly ovate-elliptic in profile, firmly membranous with indistinct lateral nerves, diverging from the rhachilla at 45°, those in opposite rows not overlapping, the rhachilla visible between them, greyish-green, glabrous, subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, pubescent; anthers (?)3, c. 1.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis not yet seen.
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44392875/44397478

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0