Common name
Neverfail Grass
Bristly Lovegrass
Naked woollybutt Grass
Narrow Leaf Neverfail
Perennial Lovegrass
Plain Grass

Derivation
Eragrostis Wolf, Gen. Sp. Pl. 23 (1776); from the Greek, eros (loving), together with Agrostis, the Greek name of an indeterminate herb.

Or from the Greek er (early) and agrostris (wild). Species of Eragrostis are commonly early invaders of arable land.

Or from the Greek eri, an inseparable particle used as a prefix to strengthen a word in the sense of very much, that is a many-floreted Agrostis.

setifolia- from the Latin seta (bristle) and folium (leaf). Leaf-blades bristle-like.

Published in
London J. Bot. 2: 419 (1843).

Habit
Perennial, densely tufted. Rootstock evident. Cataphylls present. Rhizomes short. Basal leaf sheaths glabrous or sparsely hairy. Culms erect, 12–60 cm tall, wiry, 3–6-noded. Lateral branches simple. Leaf-sheaths smooth, glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades erect or ascending, straight, persistent, flat or involute or convolute, 4–13 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, rigid. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous, scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Panicle open or contracted, linear or lanceolate or ovate, 6–10 cm long, 1.2–2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading, 1.5 cm long. Panicle branches bearing approximate spikelets.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 9–30(–70) fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, linear or oblong, laterally compressed, 10–20 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets rhachilla persistent. Spikelets retaining paleas.

Glumes
Glumes deciduous, similar. Lower glume oblong, 70–80% length of upper glume, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex obtuse or acute. Upper glume oblong, 70–80% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Upper glume lateral nerves absent. Upper glume apex obtuse or acute.

Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate or ovate, 1.25–1.75 mm long, membranous, 3-nerved. Lemma lateral nerves distinct, midway between midnerve and margin. Lemma apex obtuse, muticous or mucronate. Palea obovate, with flaps narrower than body. Palea keels wingless, ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Lodicules 2, cuneate, fleshy. Anthers 2–3, 0.5–0.8 mm long. Grain with adherent pericarp, oblong or ovoid, dorsally compressed, 0.9 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria.

Western Australia: Gardner, Fitzgerald, Dampier, Mueller, Canning, Giles, Helms, Fortescue, Ashburton, Carnarvon, Austin, Eucla, Coolgardie. Northern Territory: Barkly Tableland, Central Australia North, Central Australia South. South Australia: North-western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens Basin, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Murray. Queensland: Burke, South Kennedy, Leichhardt, Darling Downs, Gregory North, Gregory South, Mitchell, Warrego, Maranoa. New South Wales: North-Western Plains, South-Western Plains, North Far Western Plains, South Far Western Plains. Victoria: Murray Mallee, Riverina.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae

Notes
Endemic; distribution is widespread across inland Australia. Flowers all year round; fruits all year round.
A useful fodder species in native pastures, drought hardy and can withstand heavy grazing.