Eriochloa parvispiculata C.E.Hubb.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934: 111 (1934)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya to S. Africa, Madagascar. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms 30-120 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 8-30 cm long; 3-10 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-20; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1-7 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 5-15 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; puberulous on surface. Spikelet packing crowded; irregular. Spikelets in pairs, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2-4 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 2-2.5 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 lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 2-2.5 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus globular; incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume; glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 0.9 length of spikelet; 5 -veined; pubescent; acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse; mucronate. Principal lemma awn 0.1-0.3 mm long overall. Palea involute; indurate.
Distribution
Africa: east tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial; culms 30–120 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 8–30 cm. long, 3–10 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 5–15 cm. long; racemes 1–7 cm. long, the rhachis puberulous, narrowly winged, with the spikelets densely imbricate in clusters of 2–4.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm. long, thinly pubescent; lower glume absent; upper glume acuminate or with an awn point up to 0.3 mm. long; lower floret represented only by a lemma; upper lemma with a mucro 0.1–0.3 mm. long.
Habitat
Damp places, in coastal bushland and near cultivation; 0–300 m.
Distribution
K7 P T3 T6 T8 Z
[FTEA]

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

    • '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