Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis stagnalis Lazarides

First published in Austral. Syst. Bot. 10: 152 (1997)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Northern Territory to Queensland. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Cataphylls evident. Butt sheaths glossy; glabrous. Culms slender; 35-95 cm long; 3-5 -noded. Culm-internodes eglandular. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths tight; eglandular. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.1-0.3 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or elliptic; 1-2.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins eglandular; scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle eglandular. Panicle open; elliptic; 25-33 cm long; 6-8 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading, or drooping; distant; 4-9 cm long; naked below, or bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis eglandular. Panicle branches capillary; eglandular. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1-7.5 mm long; eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 10-61 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed, or subterete; 5.4-30 mm long; 0.8-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas. Rhachilla internodes zig-zag; 0.4-0.5 mm long; obscured by lemmas.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 10-61 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed, or subterete; 5.4-30 mm long; 0.8-1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas. Rhachilla internodes zig-zag; 0.4-0.5 mm long; obscured by lemmas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 0.9-1 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume linear, or lanceolate; 0.9-1.8 mm long; 0.5-0.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.5-2 mm long; membranous; dull; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate. Palea oblanceolate; with flaps narrower than body; hyaline; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous; adorned above. Palea surface smooth, or scaberulous (on flaps). Palea apex acute. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.2-0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; linear, or oblong; isodiametric; 0.5-0.8 mm long.
Distribution
Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Lazarides 1997.
[GB]

Sources

  • 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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0