Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis cumingii Steud.

First published in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 266 (1854)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical Asia to N. Australia. It is an annual or perennial.

Descriptions

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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms erect; 30-60 cm long; wiry. Leaf-sheaths 2.5-3.5 cm long; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 5-10 cm long; 1-2 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; elliptic; 6-12 cm long; 2-4 cm wide; with spikelets clumped along branches. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 10-30 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4-15 mm long; 1.5-2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 10-30 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4-15 mm long; 1.5-2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.3 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 1.8 mm long; membranous; glandular on veins; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels scaberulous; eciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid, or orbicular; 4 mm long; dark brown.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. North America: southeast USA. South America: Caribbean.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Gilliland 1993.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images