Eragrostis ciliaris
Eragrostis cumingii
gophertail lovegrass
Cuming's lovegrass
(3)9-75 cm, erect or geniculate in the lower portion, not rooting at the lower nodes, glabrous.
10-40(50) cm, erect to prostrate, sometimes geniculate, branching profusely from near the base, glabrous below the nodes.
hairy on the margins and at the apices, hairs to 4 mm;
ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;
blades 1.8-12(15) cm long, 2-5 mm wide, usually flat, occasionally involute, glabrous or ciliate basally.
sparsely hairy at the apices, hairs to 2.5 mm;
ligules 0.1-0.2 mm;
blades 3-10(12) cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat to involute, sparsely pilose on the basal 1/2, scabridulous distally.
1.7-15 cm long, 0.2-5 cm wide, cylindrical, contracted or open, branches usually forming glomerate lobes, sometimes more open, often interrupted in the lower portion;
primary branches 0.4-4 cm, appressed or diverging to 50° from the rachises;
pulvini usually glabrous, occasionally sparsely pilose;
pedicels 0.1-1 mm, erect, shorter than the spikelets, glabrous.
5-20 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, narrowly ovate, open, with 6-10 primary branches;
primary branches 1-6 cm, widely spaced, axes trigonous, diverging to 90° from the rachises, densely spikelet-bearing to the base;
pulvini sparsely pilose;
pedicels 0.4-1(2) mm, stout, straight, flattened.
1.8-3.2 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, elliptical-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, yellowish-brown, sometimes with a purple tinge, with 6-11 florets;
disarticulation basipetal, glumes peristent.
5-12(18) mm long, 1.4-2.4 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, chartaceous, stramineous to greenish with reddish-purple tinges, with 12-42 florets;
disarticulation acropetal.
ovate to lanceolate, keels scabridulous, veins commonly green, apices acute;
lower glumes 0.7-1.2 mm;
upper glumes 1-1.6 mm;
lemmas 0.8-1.3 mm, elliptical-ovate to lanceolate, membranous, keels scabridulous, lateral veins evident, apices obtuse to acute;
paleas 0.8-1.3 mm, membranous, keels prominently ciliate, cilia 0.2-0.8 mm, apices obtuse to acute;
anthers 2, 0.1-0.3 mm, purplish.
subequal in length, 1.2-1.9 mm, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, membranous;
lower glumes narrower than the upper glumes;
lemmas 1.3-2 mm, lanceolate to ovate, chartaceous, lateral veins conspicuous, greenish, apices acute;
paleas 1-1.6 mm, hyaline, keels ciliate, cilia 0.1-0.2 mm, apices obtuse to acute;
anthers 3, 0.1-0.2 mm, purplish.
0.4-0.5 mm, ovoid, reddish-brown.
0.4-0.6 mm, ovoid, laterally compressed, finely striate, light brown.
= 20, 40.
= 40.
Eragrostis ciliaris
Eragrostis cumingii
Eragrostis ciliaris is native to the paleotropics. It is naturalized in parts of the United States, growing along roadsides, on waste sites, in xerothermic vegetation, and sometimes in saline habitats, at 0-200 m. It may be more widespread than indicated.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Eragrostis cumingii is native to southeast Asia and Australia. Within the Flora region, it has become established in Florida, growing in waste places and along roadsides in sandy or gravelly soils, at 0-150 m.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Panicles 0.2-1.5 cm wide, contracted, the branches mostly appressed to the rachises, congested, forming glomerate lobes; spikelets densely packed | var. ciliaris |
1. Panicles 1.5-5 cm wide, open, the branches spreading 20-50° from the rachises; spikelets widely separated from each other | var. laxa |
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