Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis scabrida (C.E.Hubb.) 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 and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 6-40 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs pubescent, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 6-12 cm long; 1.5-3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle glabrous, or pubescent above. Panicle contracted, or spiciform; oblong; interrupted; 2.5-9 cm long; 2.5-3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or spreading; 0.5-1.5 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous, or pilose. Panicle branches pubescent, or pilose. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; 0.5 mm long; pubescent, or ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-11 mm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1.5 mm long; scaberulous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-11 mm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1.5 mm long; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.7-2.3 mm long; 0.7-0.8 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; 2.4-3 mm long; 0.66-0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1-3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. 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 oblong; 0.9 length of adjacent lemma; mucronate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; dorsally straight along back; 3.5-4.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5-5 mm long overall. Palea 2-5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets 3-6 in number; barren; separate; rudimentary. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 5-10 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.2-0.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 1-1.8 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