Eragrostis polytricha
Eragrostis capillaris
hairysheath lovegrass
lace grass, lace lovegrass
30-62 cm, erect, glabrous and shiny below the nodes.
(15)20-50(60) cm, erect, glabrous, often shiny below the nodes.
sometimes densely pilose dorsally and on the collars, margins and apices hairy, hairs to 5 mm;
ligules 0.2-0.4 mm;
blades 5-20(33) cm long, 1-3.5 mm wide, involute to flat, both surfaces with scattered hairs, adaxial surfaces densely hairy behind the ligules, hairs to 7 mm.
pilose along the margins, apices hirsute, hairs to 7 mm;
ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, ciliate;
blades (6)8-20(30) cm long, (1)2-5 mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces smooth, glabrous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, with long scattered hairs.
15-25 cm long, 5-27 cm wide, ovate, open;
primary branches 0.6-15 cm, diverging up to 90° from the rachises, capillary, naked basally;
pulvini hairy, hairs to 8 mm;
pedicels 1.4-10(16) mm, divergent.
(10)15-45(55) cm long, (7)10-25 cm wide, to 2/3 the height of the plants, elliptic to ovate, open, rachises without glandular pits;
primary branches (2)5-15 cm, diverging 20-90° from the rachises, capillary, naked basally;
pulvini glabrous;
pedicels (4)5-25 mm, divergent, scabridulous.
(2.5)3-5 mm long, 1.1-1.6 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate to linear-oblong, plumbeous, with 4-9 florets;
disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.
(1.4)2-5 mm long, 1-1.3(1.4) mm wide, ovate to lanceolate, plumbeous, occasionally reddish-purple, with 2-5(7) florets;
disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.
broadly ovate to narrowly lanceolate, hyaline to membranous;
lower glumes 1.1-1.6 mm;
upper glumes 1.2—1.8 mm;
lemmas 1.2-1.8 mm, broadly ovate, membranous throughout, lateral veins inconspicuous, apices acute;
paleas 1.1-1.7 mm, membranous to hyaline, narrower than the lemmas, apices obtuse;
anthers 3, 0.3—0.5 mm, reddish-purple.
narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, hyaline;
lower glumes 1-1.2 mm, narrower than the upper glumes;
upper glumes 1.2-1.4 mm;
lemmas 1.2-1.7 mm, broadly ovate, membranous, keels scabridulous, lateral veins inconspicuous, apices acute;
paleas 1.2-1.6 mm, hyaline, keels almost smooth to scabrous, scabridities to 0.1 mm, apices acute to obtuse;
anthers 3, 0.2-0.3 mm, reddish-brown.
0.5-0.8 mm, obovoid to somewhat prism-shaped, laterally compressed, with a well-developed adaxial groove, finely striate, opaque to translucent, reddish-brown.
0.4-0.7 mm, ovoid to rectangular-prismatic, adaxial surfaces deeply grooved, striate, bases reddish-brown, distal 2/3 opaque.
= 60, 80.
= 50, 100.
Eragrostis polytricha
Eragrostis capillaris
Eragrostis polytricha grows in sandy and rocky areas, at 0-30 m, usually in open pinelands. It is native to Florida but its primary range lies to the south of the Flora region, from southern Mexico through Central America to Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Eragrostis capillaris is native to the eastern portion of the Flora region. It grows in open, dry, sandy river-banks, floodplains, rocky roadsides, and gravel pits, at 150-1500 m, usually in association with Pinus, Quercus, Carrya, and Liquidambar styraciflua. Its range extends into northeastern Mexico.
Eragrostis capillaris resembles E. frankii, but differs in its lack of glandular pits, deeply grooved caryopses, longer pedicels, pilose sheath margins, and larger panicles. The two species are sympatric over much of the eastern United States.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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