Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis sclerantha Nees

First published in Fl. Afr. Austral. Ill.: 388 (1841)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 100 cm tall, erect, slightly swollen at the base, unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, eglandular; basal leaf sheaths woolly-tomentose below with off-white or yellowish hairs, chartaceous with somewhat indurated nerves, laterally compressed, eglandular, usually decaying into coarse yellow fibres; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 15–25 cm × 2–6 mm, linear, flat or involute, glabrous or faintly scaberulous, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 7–35 cm long, oblong to ovate, open, the spikelets spreading or appressed to the primary branches on pedicels 0.5–1.5 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils (but the axis and branches pubescent to puberulous), eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–9 × 1.5–2 mm, elliptic to oblong, laterally compressed, 6–20-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent; glumes subequal, 0.8–1.5 mm long, reaching to about the middle of the adjacent lemmas, keeled, lanceolate in profile, asperulous on the keel, otherwise glabrous, subacute at the apex; lemmas 1.6–2 mm long, keeled, ovate in profile, cartilaginous with indistinct lateral nerves, diverging from the rhachilla at 45°, those in opposite rows imbricate and concealing the rhachilla, olive-green, glabrous, subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.7–1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis c. 0.6 mm long, elliptic.
[FZ]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths woolly; with white hairs. Culms erect; 20-100 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 15-25 cm long; 2-6 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 7-35 cm long; evenly furnished, or contracted about primary branches. Panicle branches stiff. Spikelets spreading, or appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.5-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 6-20 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 2-8 mm long; 1.5-2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 6-20 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 2-8 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 ovate; 0.8-1.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.8-1.5 mm long; 0.5-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets imbricate to tip. Fertile lemma ovate; 1.6-1.7 mm long; chartaceous; dark green; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.7-1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.6 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.
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, the basal sheaths woolly tomentose with off-white hairs; culms 20–100 cm. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat, 15–25 cm. long, 2–6 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate to oblong, 7–35 cm. long, the spikelets spreading or appressed to the primary branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 6–20-flowered, elliptic to oblong, 2–8 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, laterally compressed, olive-green, breaking up from the base, the rhachilla persistent; glumes ovate, boat-shaped, subequal, 0.8–1.5 mm. long; lemmas broadly ovate, 1.6–1.7 mm. long, cartilaginous, the nerves indistinct, subacute; palea scaberulous on the keels, persistent; anthers 3, 0.7–1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis ellipsoid, 0.6 mm. long.
[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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • 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 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