Eragrostis ciliaris
Eragrostis swallenii
gophertail lovegrass
Swallen's lovegrass
(3)9-75 cm, erect or geniculate in the lower portion, not rooting at the lower nodes, glabrous.
35-70 cm, erect, with glandular bands 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.
hairy on the margins and at the apices, hairs to 4 mm;
ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;
blades (8)10-25(30) cm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, flat to involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, sometimes also sparsely hairy, hairs to 4 mm.
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.
12-30 cm long, 5-16 cm wide, ovate, open, an oblique glandular ring present below the lowest rachis node;
primary branches 2-10 cm, diverging 10-70° from the rachises, flexible;
pulvini glabrous;
pedicels 1.5-14 mm, divergent, with a glandular band.
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.
5-16 mm long, 1.2-2.3 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, plumbeous to dark reddish-purple, with 5-25 florets;
disarticulation acropetal, 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.
ovate, membranous to hyaline;
lower glumes 1.1-1.5 mm;
upper glumes 1.4-2 mm;
lemmas 1.5-2.5 mm, ovate, membranous, strongly keeled, keels without glands, lateral veins conspicuous, apices acute;
paleas 1.2-2.1 mm, hyaline, narrower than the lemmas, apices obtuse to truncate;
anthers 3, 0.3-0.5 mm, purplish.
0.4-0.5 mm, ovoid, reddish-brown.
0.8-1.1 mm, rectangular-prismatic to ellipsoid, somewhat laterally compressed, with a well-developed adaxial groove, smooth, faintly striate, mostly opaque, light reddish-brown.
= 20, 40.
= 84.
Eragrostis ciliaris
Eragrostis swallenii
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 swallenii grows in sandy sites along coastal grasslands and roadsides, often with Andropogon and Spartina, at 30-150 m. Its range extends around the Gulf coast from Texas to Mexico.
(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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