Eragrostis ciliaris
Eragrostis setifolia
gophertail lovegrass
neverfail lovegrass
(3)9-75 cm, erect or geniculate in the lower portion, not rooting at the lower nodes, glabrous.
12-60 cm, erect, glabrous or hairy near the base, often shiny 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.
glabrous, summits shortly pilose, hairs to 0.5 mm;
ligules 0.3-0.5 mm, ciliate;
blades 3-11 cm long, 0.7-2 mm wide, involute or flat, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially.
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.
6-11 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, narrowly ovate, loosely contracted;
primary branches 1-3 cm, compact, appressed or diverging to 30° from the rachises, sometimes naked near the base;
pulvini glabrous;
pedicels 0.2-3 mm, diverging, scabridulous.
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.
3-6(15) mm long, 1.3-2 mm wide, linear lanceolate, stramineous, with 9-30 florets;
disarticulation irregular or basipetal, paleas persistent.
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, 1-1.3 mm, ovate, membranous, apices obtuse to acute;
lemmas 1.4-1.6 mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous, lateral veins conspicuous, green, sometimes obscure towards the apices, apices obtuse;
paleas 1.4-1.6 mm, hyaline, apices truncate, ciliolate;
anthers 3, 0.5-0.8 mm, yellowish.
0.4-0.5 mm, ovoid, reddish-brown.
0.4-0.5 mm, oblong-ellipsoid, strongly dorsally compressed, usually with a shallow dorsal groove, smooth to finely striate, mostly light brown, bases often greenish.
= 20, 40.
= unknown.
Eragrostis ciliaris
Eragrostis setifolia
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 setifolia is an Australian species that was collected around the Santee Wool Combing Mill, Jamestown, Berkeley County, South Carolina, in 1958. It is not known to have spread from that location. There is no illustration of the species because it was a late addition to the treatment. For digital images, see http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/.
(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 |
LA Plants
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