Poaceae
Eriochloa

Eriochloa meyeriana (Nees) Pilg.

First published in H.G.A.Engler, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2. 14e: 56 (1940)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, Aldabra, Madagascar, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13579973/13596935

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms decumbent, or rambling; 30-200 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 5-25 cm long; 3-15 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle, or composed of racemes. Panicle open; elliptic; 8-18 cm long; contracted about secondary branches. Primary panicle branches bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches secund. Racemes 10-30; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2-7 cm long; secondarily branched; secondary branches racemulose. Central inflorescence axis 8-18 cm long. Rhachis angular; puberulous on surface. Spikelet packing adaxial; irregular. Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 1-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 2.3-3.5 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus globular; incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume; glabrous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 2.3-3.5 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus globular; incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume; glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate, or ovate (rarely); 0.5(-2) mm long; 0.15-0.2(-0.5) length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate, or cuspidate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 0.9 length of spikelet; 5 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5-2.2 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse; mucronate. Palea involute; indurate.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia. Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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 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