Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis nightingaleae R.L.Barrett & P.M.Peterson

First published in Austral. Syst. Bot. 33: 473 (2020)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Australia. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 25-60 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades erect; flat, or involute, or convolute; 10-23 cm long; 2-3.5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; oblong; interrupted; 5-17 cm long; 1-2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1 -nate; 2-3 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous, or pilose. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; glabrous, or ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 7-9 mm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1.3-2 mm long.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 7-9 mm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1.3-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.3-2 mm long; 0.6-0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2-3 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1-3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets divergent; increasing in size upwards; with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma lanceolate; 0.8 length of adjacent lemma; mucronate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; dorsally straight along back; 3.5-4 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-6 mm long overall. Palea 2-2.5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets 4-5 in number; barren; separate; rudimentary. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 10-12 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.3-0.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 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

    • 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 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