Eragrostis tenella (L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.

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

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Naturalizada y adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2000 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba

Conservation

Preocupación Menor

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

Morphology General Habit

Delicate tufted annual; culms 6–50 cm. high, erect or geniculately ascending.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades fiat, up to 9 cm. long and 3 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle elliptic or pyramidal (but see var. insularis), 2–14 cm. long, open, hairy in the axils or not, the branches spreading and bearing oblong yellowish glands but not sticky.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 4–8-flowered, oblong-ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm. long, breaking up from the apex, the rhachilla fragile; glumes ovate to narrowly ovate, subequal, 0.5–1 mm. long, acute; lemmas ovate-oblong, 0.7–1 mm. long, smooth or scaberulous, broadly obtuse; palea-keels ciliate with hairs 0.1–0.3 mm. long, usually shorter than the width of the adjacent floret; anthers 3, 0.2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis ellipsoid, 0.5 mm. long.

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

grama ilusión, paja ilusión, pasto amor

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–2000 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Guainía, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés, Vichada.

Habit

Herb.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: artificial - terrestrial.

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit

Delicate annual 7–30 cm. high

Ecology

Cultivated land, roadsides and waste places.

Morphology General Habit

Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 6-50 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 2-9 cm long; 1-3 mm wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; linear (var insularis), or elliptic, or pyramidal; 2-14 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading, or appressed (var insularis). Panicle branches glandular; without exudate; glabrous in axils, or bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 4-8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate, or obovate; laterally compressed; 1.5-2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 4-8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate, or obovate; laterally compressed; 1.5-2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.5-1 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5-1 mm long; 0.8-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Fertile lemma oblong, or ovate; 0.7-1 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein without distinctive roughness, or scaberulous. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Anthers 3; 0.2 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.5 mm long.

Distribution

Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

Reference

Eragrostideae. =Eragrostis tenella. FTEA.

Diagnostic

Palea hairs 0.1-0.3mm, less than width of floret.