Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis racemosa (Thunb.) Steud.

First published in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 271 (1854)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial, the basal sheaths glabrous or thinly silky hairy, sometimes becoming fibrous with age; culms 9–80 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades mostly basal, flat or sometimes involute, 6–10(–30) cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly ovate, 3–18 cm. long, open or ± contracted, the primary branches stiff, racemose or with short side branches bearing 2–3 spikelets, these on short stout pedicels 1–2 mm. long and spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 6–16(–40)-flowered, narrowly oblong to subrotund (typically narrowly ovate), 3–10(–15) mm. long, 1.5–4.5 mm. wide, the florets imbricate with the margins of the spikelet usually entire, olive to dark green, breaking up from the base, the rhachilla persistent; glumes ovate, boat-shaped, subequal, 1.2–2.8 mm. long, scabrid on the keel; lemmas broadly ovate to subrotund, 1.7–3.8 mm. long, cartilaginous, the nerves indistinct, subacute; palea scaberulous on the keels, persistent; anthers 3, 0.7–1.3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis almost square, 0.5–0.7 mm. long.
Figures
Fig. 62/2, p. 196.
Habitat
A widespread species found in most vegetation types, usually on poor sandy or shallow stony soils; 300–3000 m. (mainly 1200–2300 m.)
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 Zaire and Sudan to South Africa, and in Madagascar
[FTEA]

Gramineae, T. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:2. 1999

Morphology General Habit
Caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 90 cm tall, erect, unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, eglandular; basal leaf sheaths glabrous or thinly silky-pilose, chartaceous, terete, eglandular, persistent or sometimes decaying into fibres; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 6–10(30) cm × 2–5 mm, linear, flat or involute, glabrous to pilose on both sides, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 3–18 cm long, narrowly ovate or rarely narrowly oblong, open or ± contracted, the primary branches stiff, racemose or with short branchlets bearing only 1 or 2 spikelets, these spreading on pedicels 1–2 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous or pubescent in the axils, eglandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 3–10(15) × 1.5–4.5 mm, typically narrowly ovate, but varying from narrowly oblong to subrotund, laterally compressed, 6–16(40)-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent; glumes subequal, 1.2–2.8 mm long, reaching to between 1/3 and 1/2 the way along the adjacent lemmas, keeled, narrowly ovate in profile, scabrid on the keel, obtuse at the apex; lemmas 1.7–3.8 mm long, keeled, ovate to broadly ovate in profile, cartilaginous with indistinct lateral nerves, at length widely diverging from the rhachilla, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, olive- to dark green, glabrous, subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.7–1.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis 0.5–0.7 mm long, almost square.
[FZ]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths, or fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 9-80 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 6-10(-30) cm long; 2-5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open, or contracted; ovate; 2-14 cm long; contracted about secondary branches, or with spikelets clumped along branches. Panicle branches stiff. Spikelets spreading; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 1-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 6-16(-40) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate, or orbicular; laterally compressed; 3-10(-15) mm long; 1.5-4.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 6-16(-40) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate, or orbicular; laterally compressed; 3-10(-15) mm long; 1.5-4.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.2-2.8 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.2-2.8 mm long; 0.7-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets imbricate to tip. Fertile lemma ovate, or orbicular; 1.7-2.8 mm long; chartaceous; dark green; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.7-1.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 0.5-0.7 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • 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

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images