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Lehmann lovegrass, Lehmann's love grass

bigtop lovegrass

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, forming innovations at the basal nodes, without glands. Plants perennial; cespitose, with innovations and hardened bases, without rhizomes, not glandular.
Culms

(20)40-80 cm, erect, commonly geniculate, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, glabrous, lower portions sometimes scabridulous.

(30)45-100 cm, erect, glabrous below the nodes.

Sheaths

sometimes shortly silky pilose basally, hairs less than 2 mm, apices sparsely hairy, hairs to 3 mm;

ligules 0.3-0.5 mm, ciliate;

blades 2-12 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat to involute, glabrous, abaxial surfaces sometimes scabridulous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous.

rarely glabrous, apices and distal margins usually hairy, sometimes also densely hairy basally, dorsally, and on the collars, hairs to 6 mm, papillose-based;

ligules 0.2-0.4 mm;

blades 25-60 cm long, 3-8(11) mm wide, flat to loosely involute, usually glabrous, adaxial surfaces sometimes hairy basally.

Panicles

7-18 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, oblong, open;

primary branches 1-8 cm, appressed or diverging to 40° from the rachises;

pulvini glabrous;

pedicels 0.5-4 mm, diverging or appressed, flexible.

25-85 cm long, 15-40 cm wide, broadly ovate, open;

primary branches mostly 4-35(45) cm, diverging 20-90° from the rachises, capillary;

pulvini glabrous or hairy;

pedicels 2-28 mm, divergent.

Spikelets

5-12(14) mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, plumbeous to stramineous, with 4-12(14) florets;

disarticulation irregular to basipetal, paleas usually persistent.

2-4(5) mm long, 1-1.7 mm wide, lanceolate, greenish with purplish tinges, with 2-6 florets;

disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.

Glumes

oblong to lanceolate, membranous;

lower glumes 1-1.5 mm;

upper glumes 1.3-2 mm;

lemmas 1.5-1.7 mm, ovate, membranous, lateral veins inconspicuous, apices acute to obtuse;

paleas 1.4-1.7 mm, obtuse;

anthers 3, 0.6-0.9 mm, yellowish.

lanceolate, hyaline to membranous;

lower glumes 1.1-2 mm;

upper glumes 1.5-2.8 mm, apices acuminate to acute;

lemmas 1.6-2.4 mm, ovate, membranous, hyaline near the margins, lateral veins inconspicuous, apices acute;

paleas 1.2-2.2 mm, hyaline, bases not projecting beyond the lemmas, apices acute to obtuse;

anthers 3, 0.3-0.8 mm, purplish.

Caryopses

0.6-0.8 mm, ellipsoid to obovoid, dorsally compressed, sometimes with a shallow adaxial groove, smooth, translucent, mostly light brown, embryo region dark brown with a greenish ring.

0.8-1 mm, rectangular-prismatic, somewhat laterally compressed, with or without a well-developed adaxial groove, striate, opaque, reddish-brown.

2n

= 40, 60.

= 100.

Eragrostis lehmanniana

Eragrostis hirsuta

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; OK; TX; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eragrostis lehmanniana is native to southern Africa, where it grows in sandy, savannah habitats. It was introduced for erosion control in the southern United States, where it often displaces native species. In the Flora region, it grows in sandy flats, along roadsides, on calcareous slopes, and in disturbed areas, at 200-1830 m. It is commonly found in association with Larrea tridentata, Opuntia, Quercus, Juniperus, and Bouteloua gracilis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Eragrostis hirsuta grows in sandy clay loams on the coastal plain and along roadsides, at 0-150 m, usually in association with Pinus palustris and Quercus. Its range extends from the southeastern United States through eastern Mexico to Guatemala and Belize.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 76. FNA vol. 25, p. 95.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Eragrostis Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Eragrostis
Sibling taxa
E. airoides, E. amabilis, E. atrovirens, E. bahiensis, E. barrelieri, E. capillaris, E. cilianensis, E. ciliaris, E. cumingii, E. curtipedicellata, E. curvula, E. cylindriflora, E. echinochloidea, E. elliottii, E. elongata, E. erosa, E. frankii, E. gangetica, E. hirsuta, E. hypnoides, E. intermedia, E. japonica, E. lugens, E. lutescens, E. mexicana, E. minor, E. obtusiflora, E. palmeri, E. pectinacea, E. pilosa, E. plana, E. polytricha, E. prolifera, E. refracta, E. reptans, E. scaligera, E. secundiflora, E. sessilispica, E. setifolia, E. silveana, E. spectabilis, E. spicata, E. superba, E. swallenii, E. tef, E. trichodes, E. trichophora, E. unioloides
E. airoides, E. amabilis, E. atrovirens, E. bahiensis, E. barrelieri, E. capillaris, E. cilianensis, E. ciliaris, E. cumingii, E. curtipedicellata, E. curvula, E. cylindriflora, E. echinochloidea, E. elliottii, E. elongata, E. erosa, E. frankii, E. gangetica, E. hypnoides, E. intermedia, E. japonica, E. lehmanniana, E. lugens, E. lutescens, E. mexicana, E. minor, E. obtusiflora, E. palmeri, E. pectinacea, E. pilosa, E. plana, E. polytricha, E. prolifera, E. refracta, E. reptans, E. scaligera, E. secundiflora, E. sessilispica, E. setifolia, E. silveana, E. spectabilis, E. spicata, E. superba, E. swallenii, E. tef, E. trichodes, E. trichophora, E. unioloides
Synonyms E. hirsuta var. laevivaginata
Name authority Nees (Michx.) Nees
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