Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees

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

Morphology General Habit

Densely tufted perennial; basal leaf-sheaths strongly striate with the nerves forming prominent ridges, often hard and yellowish, appressed silky hairy below; culms 30–120 cm. high, slender or robust, usually erect.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades narrow, up to ± 30 cm. long, 3 mm. wide, usually rolled or filiform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle very variable, loose and spreading to narrow and contracted, 6–30 cm. long, the lowest branches often whorled and hairy in the axils.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 4–13-flowered, linear, 4–10 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, grey-green, breaking up from the base, the rhachilla persistent below but fragile above; lower glume lanceolate, 1–1.8 mm. long, 1/3-3/4 as long as the lowest floret; upper glume narrowly ovate, 1.5–2.2 mm. long; lemmas ovate-elliptic, 1.8–2.6 mm. long, appressed to the rhachilla; palea smooth or minutely scaberulous on the keels, persistent; anthers 3, 0.8–1.1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis ellipsoid, 0.7 mm. long.

Habitat

A South African species widely employed as a forage and ground-cover plant; occasionally found as an escape; ± 1000–1800 m.

Distribution

K3 K4 K5 K6 T7 southwards to South Africaintroduced throughout the tropics

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

Morphology General Habit

Densely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 120 cm tall, slender or stout, firm or spongy, usually erect, sometimes ascending, usually unbranched, rarely branched, glabrous at the nodes, the internodes glabrous or pilose, eglandular; basal leaf sheaths silky-pilose below, coriaceous and hard, the nerves forming close, prominent ridges, terete, eglandular, persistent; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 10–30 cm × 1–3(10) mm, linear to broadly linear, flat or involute, sometimes filiform, straight or flexuous, glabrous to pilose, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle 6–30 cm long, ovate and loose and spreading to narrow and contracted, the spikelets evenly distributed on pedicels 0.5–4 mm long, the primary branches in whorls below or not, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous or pilose in the axils, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 4–10 × 1–1.5 mm, linear to narrowly oblong, laterally compressed, 4–13-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent, sometimes fragile above; glumes unequal, keeled, glabrous, acute at the apex, the inferior 1–1.8 mm long, reaching to between 2/3 and 4/5 the way along the adjacent lemma, narrowly lanceolate in profile, the superior 1.5–2.5 mm long, reaching to between 1/2 and 3/4 the way along the adjacent lemma, lanceolate in profile; lemmas 1.4–2.6 mm long, keeled, narrowly ovate-elliptic in profile, membranous with indistinct lateral nerves, appressed to the rhachilla, those in opposite rows not overlapping, the rhachilla visible between them, greyish-green, minutely scaberulous, subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, smooth and glabrous or scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.8–1.1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis 0.7–1 mm long, elliptic.

Morphology General Habit

Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths coriaceous; yellow; distinctly ribbed; pubescent. Culms erect; 30-120 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; flat, or convolute; 10-30 cm long; 1-3 mm wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or ovate; 6-30 cm long. Primary panicle branches not whorled, or whorled at lower nodes. Panicle branches glabrous in axils, or pubescent in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 4-13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4-10 mm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; tough throughout, or fragile above; with the distal florets disarticulating separately, or disarticulating into irregular segments.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 4-13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4-10 mm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; tough throughout, or fragile above; with the distal florets disarticulating separately, or disarticulating into irregular segments.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1-1.8 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.5-2.2 mm long; 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 florets appressed to rhachilla. Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; 1.8-2.6 mm long; membranous; grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea keels smooth, or scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Anthers 3; 0.8-1.1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.7 mm long.

Distribution

Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: north-central. North America: southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Brazil, and southern South America.

Reference

Eragrostideae. FTEA.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 500–2500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Herb.

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

Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 500 - 2500 m.; Andes, Valle del Cauca.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba