Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis ambleia Clayton

First published in Kew Bull. 27: 152 (1972)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Somalia to Kenya. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 30-90 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 15-30 cm long; 2-4 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; elliptic; 15-25 cm long; evenly furnished, or contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches stiff; straight; bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 7-15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4-10 mm long; 1.5-2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 7-15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4-10 mm long; 1.5-2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.5-2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.5-2 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 1.6-2 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma apex truncate. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.5-0.7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid, or orbicular; 0.5-0.6 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179746/1588764

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual up to 90 cm high; leaves flat
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle elliptic, 15–25 cm long, the branches stiff and horizontally spreading, hairy in the axils, the spikelets shortly pedicelled and often loosely grouped about the primary branches
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets linear, 4–10 mm long, 7- to 15-flowered, disarticulating between the florets, the rhachilla fragile; glumes subequal, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–2 mm long, subobtuse to obtuse; lemmas broadly oblong-elliptic in profile, 1.6–2 mm long, broadly truncate; palea-keels scabrid; anthers 3, 0.5–0.7 mm long.
Distribution
S3; Kenya
Note
A little-known species only recently discovered in Somalia close to the Kenya border not far from Kolbio.
[FSOM]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted annual; culms 30–90 cm. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat, up to 30 cm. long and 2–4 mm. wide; ligule represented by aline of hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle elliptic, 15–25 cm. long, the branches stiff and horizontally spreading, bearded in the axils, the spikelets shortly pedicelled and often loosely grouped about the primary branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 7–15-flowered, linear, 4–10 mm. long and 1.5–2 mm. wide, often purplish, breaking up from the apex, the rhachilla fragile; glumes lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–2 mm. long, subacute to obtuse; lemmas broadly oblong-elliptic, 1.6–2 mm. long, broadly truncate; palea scabrid on the keels; anthers 3, 0.5–0.7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm. long.
Habitat
Dry soils in deciduous bushland; 200–500 m.
Distribution
K1 K4 K7 known only from Kenya
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 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 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0