Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis viscosa (Retz.) Trin.

First published in Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 1: 397 (1830)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, S. Arabian Peninsula, Tropical Asia. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is has environmental uses and as animal food and a medicine.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Loosely caespitose annual; culms up to 40 cm tall, erect, branched or unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, with sticky glandular patches below the nodes; leaf sheaths with sticky glandular patches below the collar; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 4–10 cm × 2–5 mm, linear, flat or with involute margins, glabrous to scattered-pilose, the hairs sometimes with tuberculate base, the midline and margins sticky towards the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 4–15 cm long, ovate to narrowly oblong, rather dense, the spikelets evenly but rather densely distributed on short stiff pedicels 1.5–2 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous or pilose in the axils, the branches and pedicels sticky from yellowish oblong glandular patches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.5–4.5 × 1.2–2 mm, ovate-oblong, lightly laterally compressed, 5–15-flowered, the florets disarticulating from the apex downwards, the rhachilla fragile; glumes subequal, 0.6–1.2 mm long, reaching to just beyond the middle of the adjacent lemmas, lightly keeled, the keel thickened by a linear sticky yellow gland, lanceolate in profile, acute at the apex; lemmas 0.7–1.4 mm long, lightly keeled, oblong-elliptic in profile, membranous with distinct lateral nerves, diverging from the rhachilla at c. 45°, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, yellowish to purplish, glabrous, broadly obtuse and sometimes obscurely mucronate at the apex; palea glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, ciliate with tubercle-based hairs 0.1–0.5 mm long; anthers 3, 0.2–0.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis 0.5–0.7 mm long, narrowly elliptic.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual, 20–45 cm. high
Note
Culms, leaf-sheaths and base of blade sticky
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Lower glume with a sticky yellow mid-nerve: dry sandy soils.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted annual; culms 10–40 cm. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat, 4–10 cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide, sticky on keel and margins towards the base; sheath sticky below the collar.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate to narrowly oblong, 4–15 cm. long, glabrous or pilose in the axils, the branches sticky from yellowish oblong glandular patches to which grains of sand and debris adhere.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 5–15-flowered, ovate-oblong, 1.5–4.5 mm. long, yellowish to purplish, breaking up from the apex, the rhachilla fragile; glumes narrowly ovate, subequal, 0.6–1.2 mm. long, the keel usually thickened by a linear sticky yellow gland, acute; lemmas oblong-elliptic, 0.7–1.4 mm. long, glabrous, broadly obtuse, sometimes obscurely mucronate; palea-keels ciliate with hairs 0.1–0.5 mm. long; anthers 3, 0.2–0.3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis narrowly ellipsoid, 0.5–0.7 mm. long.
Habitat
Open places on dry or shallow soils; 1000–1700 m.
Distribution
eastwards from Nigeria through India to Thailand and the Philippines, southwards to South Africaa few records in tropical America K6 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T7
[FTEA]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean. Elevation range: 0–2000 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: La Guajira, Magdalena, Norte de Santander, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
[UPFC]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 10-40 cm long. Leaf-sheaths viscid. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 4-10 cm long; 2-5 mm wide; viscid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 4-15 cm long. Panicle branches glandular; viscid; glabrous in axils, or bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 5-15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 1.5-4.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 5-15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 1.5-4.5 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; 0.6-1.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; glandular (on keel); viscid; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.6-1.2 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; glandular (on keel); viscid; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 0.7-1.4 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse; muticous, or mucronate (obscurely). Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.2-0.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.5-0.7 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and middle Atlantic ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, and western South America.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
Diagnostic
Palea hairs 0.1-0.5mm.
[GB]

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]

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
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2000 m.; Andes, Llanura del Caribe, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Uses

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

Common Names

English
Sticky love grass

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 Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2025. 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 2025. 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

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

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