Eragrostis homblei De Wild.

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

Morphology General Habit

Coarsely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 90 cm tall, erect, branched or unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, eglandular; basal leaf sheaths glabrous, chartaceous, compressed and keeled, eglandular, persistent; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 10–35 cm × 3–10 mm, linear, flat (involute when dry), glabrous to pilose with tubercle-based hairs, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle 15–33 cm long, elliptic, diffuse with slender, sometimes flexuous, branches and pedicels, the spikelets evenly distributed on pedicels (5)10–25 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils, eglandular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 3–7 × 1–2 mm, narrowly oblong to lanceolate-oblong, laterally compressed, 4–8-flowered, the florets disarticulating either from the apex downwards with the rhachilla fragile or from below upwards with the rhachilla persistent; glumes subequal (or if unequal the superior more than half as long as the inferior), 1.5–3 mm long, keeled, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate in profile, scaberulous on the keel, acute at the apex, the inferior reaching to c. 4/5 the way along the adjacent lemma, the superior to between 1/2 and 2/3 the way; lemmas 2–3 mm long, keeled, narrowly ovate-elliptic in profile, firmly membranous with indistinct lateral nerves, diverging from the rhachilla at less than 45°, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, dark olive-green or purplish-green, scaberulous on the keel, acute to sharply acute at the apex; palea persistent if rhachilla retained, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, smooth or scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.8–1.2 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis 0.8–1.2 mm long, oblong to elliptic.

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

Morphology General Habit

Coarse tussocky perennial; culms 20–90 cm. high, erect.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades flat, 10–30 cm. long, 3–6 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle elliptic, 15–30 cm. long, diffuse, with slender often flexuous branches and pedicels.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 4–8-fiowered, narrowly oblong, 3–7 mm. long, 1–2 mm. wide, dark purplish green, the florets untidily spreading, breaking up from the apex with the rhachilla fragile, or from the base with the rhachilla persistent; glumes narrowly ovate, subequal, 1.5–2.7 mm. long; lemmas ovate-elliptic, 2–3 mm. long, firmly membranous, the lateral nerves indistinct, acute to sharply acute; palea smooth or scaberulous on the keels, persistent; anthers 3, 1–1.2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis oblong, 1.2 mm. long.

Figures

Fig. 60/7, p. 190.

Habitat

Glades in upland evergreen forest and damp places; 1700–2400 m.

Distribution

T4 T6 T7

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