Eragrostis intermedia
Eragrostis setifolia
plains lovegrass
neverfail lovegrass
(30)40-90(110) cm, erect, glabrous below the nodes.
12-60 cm, erect, glabrous or hairy near the base, often shiny below the nodes.
sparsely pilose on the margins, apices hairy, hairs to 8 mm, not papillose-based;
ligules 0.2-0.4 mm;
blades (4)10-20(30) cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat or involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces densely hairy behind the ligules, elsewhere usually glabrous, occasionally sparsely hairy.
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.
15-40 cm long, (8.5)15-30 cm wide, ovate, open;
primary branches 4-25 cm, diverging 20-90° from the rachises, capillary;
pulvini hairy or glabrous;
pedicels 2-14 mm, divergent.
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.
3-7 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, olivaceous to purplish, with (3)5-11 florets;
disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.
3-6(15) mm long, 1.3-2 mm wide, linear lanceolate, stramineous, with 9-30 florets;
disarticulation irregular or basipetal, paleas persistent.
lanceolate to ovate, hyaline to membranous;
lower glumes 1.1-1.7 mm, narrower than the upper glumes;
upper glumes 1.3-2 mm, apices acuminate to acute;
lemmas 1.6-2.2 mm, ovate, membranous, hyaline near the margins, lateral veins inconspicuous, apices acute;
paleas 1.4-2.1 mm, hyaline, narrower than the lemmas, apices obtuse to acute;
anthers 3, 0.5-0.8 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.
0.5-0.9 mm, rectangular-prismatic, somewhat laterally compressed, with a well-developed adaxial groove, striate, opaque, 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.
= ca. 54, 60, 72, ca. 74, 80, 100, 120.
= unknown.
Eragrostis intermedia
Eragrostis setifolia
Eragrostis intermedia grows in clay, sandy, and rocky soils, often in disturbed sites, at 0-1850 m. Its range extends from the United States through Mexico and Central America to South America. Eragrostis intermedia is similar to the more widespread E. lugens, but differs from that species in having wider spikelets, longer lemmas, and caryopses with a prominent adaxial groove.
(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.)
CalFlora
Go Botany
KS Wildflowers
LA Plants
MO Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
