Criteria for identifying some Eragrostis at the vegetative stage (see
Le Bourgeois and Kamga-Tchayé 1991)
1 Presence of many sticky glands on the sheath
- E. viscosa
1' Absence of sticky glands on the sheath:
2 Periligular zone glabrous:
3 Ligule 0.7 mm, membranous, truncate barely ciliated at the apex; glabrous sheath; glabrous lamina, banded, 3 to 5 mm wide
- E. namaquensis
3' Ligule membrano-ciliate 0.3 mm; glabrous sheath; ciliate margin and base (hair white 2-3 mm)
- E. gangetica
2' Tufts of developed periligular hairs:
4 Ligule = 0.3 mm:
5 Short and stiff periligular hairs from 1 to 1.5 mm; ciliated ligule
- E. turgida
5' Silky, well-developed periligular hairs of 3-4 mm; membrane-ciliated ligule:
6 Glabrous sheath and limb
- E. pilosa
6' Long white hairs 3-4 mm at the base and on the margin of the limb, limb green-blue; ligule very slightly membranous
- E. tremula
4' Ligule 0.7 to 1 mm, ciliate, usually doubled by a second line of longer hairs:
7 Very long periligular hairs with mustaches of 5 to 7 mm; ciliated ligule lined with a 2nd row of long hair 3-4 mm
- E. aspera
7' Periligular hairs developed but with a length of 2 to 5 mm:
8 Ciliated ligule lined with a second row of long hairs; densely hairy sheath
- E. ciliaris
8' Ciliated ligule not lined with a second row of hairs; limb glabrous at the base ; margin with few hairs; glabrous sheath
- E. cilianensis