Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis confusa (C.E.Hubb.) R.L.Barrett & P.M.Peterson

First published in Austral. Syst. Bot. 33: 470 (2020)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Northern Territory to NW. & N. Queensland. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 15-30 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths loose; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 4-8 cm long; 1-2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; continuous, or interrupted; loose, or effuse; 3-10 cm long; 1-2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading, or reflexed; 1 -nate; simple; 1-1.5 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous, or pilose. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or obovate; laterally compressed; 4-5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long; scaberulous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or obovate; laterally compressed; 4-5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2-3 mm long; 0.75-0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.5-3.5 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets increasing in size upwards; with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma 0.75 length of adjacent lemma; lobed (emarginate); awned (1-1.4mm). Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally straight along back; 3-6 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1-3 mm long overall. Palea bowed outwards; 1.5-2 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets 4-5 in number; barren; rudimentary. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.3-0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 1 mm long.
Distribution
Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. CEH.
[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]

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

    • '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