Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis japonica (Thunb.) Trin.

First published in Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 1: 405 (1830)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical Old World. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Robust caespitose annual; culms up to 165 cm tall, erect, often branched below, glabrous at the nodes, eglandular; leaf sheaths eglandular; ligula a short but distinct membrane with fimbriate margin; leaf laminas 3–26 cm × 1–7 mm, linear, flat or with involute margins, glabrous, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 9–60 cm long, linear to lanceolate or narrowly ovate, contracted or spreading, the spikelets evenly distributed but often crowded on short pedicels less than 1 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1–2.5 × c. 1 mm, ovate-oblong, lightly laterally compressed, 4–8-flowered, the florets disarticulating from the apex downwards, the rhachilla fragile; glumes subequal, 0.4–0.8 mm long, reaching to about the middle of the adjacent lemmas, lightly keeled, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic in profile, glabrous, acute or obtuse at the apex; lemmas 0.6–0.9 mm long, lightly keeled, elliptic to ovate in profile, membranous with distinct lateral nerves, ± appressed to the rhachilla, those in opposite rows scarcely imbricate, the rhachilla ± visible between them, greenish or purplish, glabrous, obtuse at the apex; palea glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, glabrous or scaberulous; anthers 2, 0.1–0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis 0.3–0.5 mm long, obovate.
[FZ]

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]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/177051/140432825

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual or short-lived perennial up to 150 cm high; leaves flat with membranous ligule
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle very variable in shape, ranging from linear and contracted to loose and open with ascending branches, 5–55 cm long, the branches solitary or whorled
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets elliptic to narrowly oblong, 1.3–3 mm long, 4- to 14-flowered, disarticulating between the florets, the rhachilla fragile; glumes subequal, narrowly ovate, 0.5–0.8 mm long, subacute to obtuse; lemmas broadly oblong-elliptic in profile, thinly membranous, 0.7–1 mm long, broadly obtuse; palea-keels smooth or scabrid; anthers 2, c. 0.2 mm long.
Distribution
S1, 2 tropical Africa to SE Asia.
[FSOM]

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
Naturalizada y adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 500 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Caribbean, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 0–500 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Atlántico, Casanare, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Meta, Tolima, Vichada.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 10-150 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.3-0.6 mm long; lacerate; truncate. Leaf-blades 3-30 cm long; 1-5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; linear, or lanceolate, or ovate; 4-50 cm long; contracted about secondary branches. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 3-14 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 4-8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 1.3-2.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 4-8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 1.3-2.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.4-0.7 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.4-0.7 mm long; 0.6-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 0.7 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels smooth, or scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 2; 0.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.3-0.5 mm long.
Distribution
Europe: eastern. Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. North America: north-central USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted annual 15–120 cm. high
Ecology
Sandy stream sides.
[FWTA]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • Flora of Somalia

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

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