Eragrostis cylindriflora Hochst.

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

Morphology General Habit

Loosely tufted annual 30–76 cm. high.

Morphology General Habit

Annual, or perennial; caespitose. Stolons absent, or present. Butt sheaths without ribs; glabrous to pubescent. Glands sunken crateriform. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 30-100 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes eglandular, or glandular (below node). Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths eglandular, or glandular; glabrous on surface, or pilose (rarely); with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 3-25 cm long; 1-5 mm wide; eglandular, or glandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; elliptic, or ovate; 2-40 cm long. Primary panicle branches whorled at lower nodes, or whorled at most nodes. Panicle branches glabrous in axils, or pubescent in axils, or bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 4-14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 3-8 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.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 4-14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 3-8 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.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1-2.7 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; hyaline, or membranous; grey; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate to ovate; 1-2.7 mm long; 0.75-1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline, or membranous; grey; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5-2 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea keels smooth, or scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.8-1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.5-0.7 mm long.

Distribution

Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: north-central.

Reference

Eragrostideae. =Eragrostis trichophora, Eragrostis rigidior. FTEA 1997.

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

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

Morphology General Habit

Caespitose annual, short-lived perennial or tussocky perennial without rhizomes, the leaves mostly cauline; culms up to 80(100) cm tall, erect or ascending, stout or wiry, sometimes rooting from the lower nodes, branched or unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, sometimes pilose on the internodes, usually with a ring of elongated glands below the nodes; leaf sheaths glabrous or rarely pilose with tubercle-based hairs, eglandular or dotted with oblong or circular glandular pits, the basal firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, usually glabrous below, terete or somewhat compressed, inconspicuously ridged; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 3–25 cm × 2–5 mm, linear, flat or involute, glabrous or sparsely pilose with tubercle-based hairs, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle 8–40 cm long, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, loose and open, the spikelets evenly distributed on pedicels 0.5–2.5 mm long, the primary branches mostly unbranched in the lower 1/4, in a succession of whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, sometimes glabrous (especially above) but usually thinly to densely pilose in the axils (especially the lowermost whorl), eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 3–8 × (0.8)1–1.5 mm, linear to narrowly elliptic-oblong, lightly laterally compressed, (4)7–14-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent below but fragile above; glumes subequal, thinly membranous, 1.5–2.7 mm long, lightly keeled, lanceolate in profile, scaberulous on the keel, subacute to acute at the apex, the inferior reaching to at least 4/5 the way along the adjacent lemma, sometimes right to or even beyond the apex, the superior to about the middle; lemmas 1.5–2 mm long, lightly keeled, narrowly oblong-elliptic in profile, membranous but with obscure lateral nerves, ± appressed to the rhachilla, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, grey-green, minutely asperulous, obtuse to subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, glabrous to scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.7–1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis 0.5–0.8 mm long, elliptic.

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

Morphology General Habit

Tufted perennial; culms stout, 30–100 cm. high, erect or geniculate, usually invested with persistent, dry, curly basal leaves and commonly with a ring of elongated glands just below the nodes.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades flat, up to 25 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, glaucous, stiff and coarse; sheaths without glands, nearly always glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle ovate, 15–40 cm. long, the lowest branches whorled, glabrous or with a few hairs in the axils.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 5–10-flowered, linear, 3.5–7 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, grey-green, commencing to break up from the base, the rhachilla persistent below but fragile above; glumes lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–2.7 mm. long, membranous, greyish, the lower 4/5 to as long as the lowest lemma; lemmas elliptic-oblong, 1.5–2 mm. long, obtuse; palea smooth on the keels, persistent; anthers 3, 0.8–1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis ellipsoid, 0.6 mm. long.

Habitat

Shallow or eroded soils in deciduous bushland; 1200–2000 m.

Distribution

K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5 T7 U1 southwards to South Africa

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

Diagnostic

Similar to E. cylindriflora but perennial.