Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis pycnostachys Clayton

First published in Kew Bull. 25: 253 (1971)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 100 cm long; wiry. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 10-25 cm long; 2-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; 20-25 cm long; contracted about primary branches, or with spikelets clumped along branches. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; distant (below); simple (secund and raceme-like); 3-5 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; ciliate; hairy below.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 5-10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3-6 mm long; 1.2-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; tough throughout, or fragile above; with the distal florets disarticulating separately.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 5-10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3-6 mm long; 1.2-1.5 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; 1.2-2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.2-2 mm long; 0.7-0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 1.7-2.2 mm long; membranous; pallid; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.7 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: east tropical.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial; culms hard, wiry, 1 m. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat, up to 25 cm. long, 4 mm. wide, acuminate to a filiform tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle lanceolate, 20–25 cm. long; primary branches spreading or ascending, 3–5 cm. long, distant in the lower part of the panicle, shorter and closer above, the spikelets borne singly or in little clusters upon them, to form dense secund pseudo-racemes; pedicels very short, hairy at the foot.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 5–10-flowered, narrowly oblong, 3–6 mm. long, 1.2–1.5 mm. wide, pallid, breaking up from the base, the rhachilla persistent or the upper nodes fragile; glumes lanceolate to narrowly ovate, subequal, 1.2–2 mm. long, acute; lemmas ovate, 1.7–2.2 mm. long, thinly membranous, acute; palea scaberulous on the keels, persistent; anthers 3, 0.4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis ellipsoid, 0–7 mm. long.
Habitat
Pathsides and stream banks in forest; 1700–2100 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

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]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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

    • 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 2026. 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 2026. 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