Eragrostis ciliaris (L.) R.Br.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & Subtropical Old World. It is used as animal food and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for food.

[UPFC]

Distribution: Biogeografic region: Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1500 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Casanare, Cesar, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vichada.
Habit: Herb.
Ecology: Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.

[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit: Loosely caespitose annual; culms up to 60(75) cm tall, erect or ascending, usually unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, eglandular; leaf sheaths eglandular; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 5–20 cm × 1–3(5) mm, linear, flat or involute, glabrous or with scattered long silky hairs, scaberulous, somewhat firm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Panicle 4–20 cm long, woolly, narrow and spike-like but often lobed and interrupted, the spikelets densely clustered on pedicels 2–4 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets 2–4.5 × c. 2 mm, ovate, strongly laterally compressed, 6–12-flowered, the florets disarticulating from the apex downwards, the rhachilla fragile; glumes subequal, 0.7–1.4 mm long, reaching to beyond the middle of the adjacent lemmas, lightly keeled, narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong-lanceolate in profile, scabrid on the keel, acute at the apex; lemmas 0.9–1.5 mm long, keeled, oblong-elliptic in profile, membranous with distinct lateral nerves, widely diverging from the rhachilla (greater than 45°), those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, purplish, with a few short stiff hairs on the keel below (most apparent in the uppermost lemmas), otherwise smooth, broadly obtuse and ± obscurely mucronate at the apex; palea glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, tuberculate-ciliate with hairs 0.6–0.7 mm long; anthers 2, 0.2–0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Caryopsis 0.3–0.5 mm long, elliptic.

[CPLC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution: Naturalizada y adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1500 m.; Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit: Hierba
Conservation: No Evaluada

[FTEA]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit: Tufted annual; culms 5–60 cm. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves: Leaf-blades flat, up to 12 cm. long and 5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Panicle spike-like, but often ± lobed or interrupted, 1–20 cm. long, woolly, the spikelets densely clustered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets 6–12-flowered, ovate, 2–4.5 mm. long, fluffy, often purplish, breaking up from the apex, the rhachilla fragile; glumes lanceolate, subequal, 0.7–1.2 mm. long, acute; lemmas oblong-elliptic, 0.9–1.5 mm. long, the keels (at least in the upper lemmas) bearing a few short stiff hairs, otherwise smooth, broadly obtuse, ± obscurely mucronate; palea-keels tuberculate-ciliate, the hairs 0.6–0.7 mm. long, exceeding the width of the adjacent floret; anthers 2, 0.2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Caryopsis ellipsoid, 0.3–0.5 mm. long.
Figures: Fig. 60/2, p. 190.
Habitat: Farmland, clearings and in overgrazed, trodden or weedy places; sea-level to 1400 m., or sometimes more
Distribution: tropical and South Africa, extending through Arabia and the Mascarene Is. to Indiatropical America K1 K2 K4 K5 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U1

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit: Annual up to 50 cm high; leaves flat
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Panicle 1–12.5 cm long, contracted, spike-like or lobed and interrupted
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets oblong-elliptic to ovate, 2–3.5 mm long, 6- to 12-flowered, the florets loose and divergent, covered by the spreading palea-hairs, disarticulating between the florets, the rhachilla fragile; glumes equal, lanceolate, 0.9–1 mm long; lemmas oblong in profile, thinly membranous, 0.9–1.5 mm long, with a few pectinate hairs on the lower part of the keel at least in the upper lemmas, broadly obtuse, mucronate; palea-keels pectinate-ciliate with tubercle-based hairs 0.4–0.8 mm long; anthers 2, 0.1–0.2 mm long.
Distribution: N1–3; C1; S1–3 throughout the tropics.
Ecology: Altitude range 0–1200 m.

[FWTA]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit: Annual 15–60 cm. high
Ecology: A common weed of roadsides, cultivated land and waste places.

[GB]

Morphology General Habit: Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 5-60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 2-12 cm long; 1-5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; continuous, or interrupted; 1-20 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets comprising 6-12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 2-4.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile: Spikelets comprising 6-12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 2-4.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume: Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.7-1.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.7-1.2 mm long; 0.7-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets: Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 0.9-1.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliolate (at least a few hairs on upper lemmas). Lemma apex obtuse; muticous, or mucronate (obscurely). Palea keels tuberculate; ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Anthers 2; 0.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.3-0.5 mm long.
Distribution: Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Pacific: southwestern, northwestern, and north-central. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference: Eragrostideae. FTEA.
Diagnostic: Palea hairs 0.6-0.7mm, more than width of floret.

[GB]

Morphology General Habit: Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 20-40 cm long. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 3-8 cm long; 1.5-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; oblong; continuous, or interrupted; 3-9 cm long; 1-2.5 cm wide. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets comprising 11-18 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile: Spikelets comprising 11-18 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume: Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 mm long; 0.9-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets: Fertile lemma ovate; 1-1.2 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution: South America: northern South America.
Reference: Eragrostideae. Luces 2002.

[UPFC]

Use Animal Food: Used as animal food.
Use Environmental: Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources: Used as gene sources.
Use Food: Used for food.
Use Materials: Used as material.
Use Medicines: Medical uses.
Use Social: Social uses.

Doubtfully present in:

Morocco

Native to:

Aldabra, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf States, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laccadive Is., Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Maluku, Marianas, Marshall Is., Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel I, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Réunion, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Alabama, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Aruba, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Central American Pac, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, France, French Guiana, Galápagos, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Line Is., Louisiana, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Jersey, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Suriname, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.