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sand lovegrass

plains lovegrass

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, with innovations, without rhizomes, not glandular. Plants perennial; cespitose, with innovations, without rhizomes, not glandular.
Culms

30-120 (160) cm, erect, glabrous and non-glandular below the nodes.

(30)40-90(110) cm, erect, glabrous below the nodes.

Sheaths

sometimes villous along the margins, apices hairy, hairs to 5 mm;

ligules 0.3-0.5 mm;

blades 15-46(65) cm long, 1.5-8 mm wide, flat to involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, sometimes also pilose on the basal 1/4, hairs to 4 mm.

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.

Panicles

30-80 cm long, 6-30 cm wide, oblong to ovoid, diffuse;

primary branches 2-35 cm, diverging 20-90° from the rachises, naked basally;

pulvini hairy or glabrous;

pedicels 2-22 cm, diverging, capillary.

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.

Spikelets

3-15 mm long, 1.5—3.6 mm wide, ovate to lanceolate, greenish-yellow with a reddish-purple tinge, with (2)4-18 florets;

disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.

3-7 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, olivaceous to purplish, with (3)5-11 florets;

disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.

Glumes

subequal, 1.8-4 mm, narrowly ovate to linear-lanceolate, membranous, apices acuminate;

upper glumes as long as or longer than the basal lemmas;

lemmas 2.2-3.5 mm, broadly ovate to lanceolate, membranous, strongly keeled, keels not glandular, lateral veins conspicuous, apices acute;

paleas 1.8-2.8 mm, hyaline, narrower than the lemmas, keels ciliolate, apices obtuse to truncate;

anthers 3, 1-1.6 mm, purplish.

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.

Caryopses

0.8-1.3 mm, rectangular-prismatic, somewhat laterally compressed, with a wide, deep adaxial groove, faintly striate, opaque, dark reddish-brown.

0.5-0.9 mm, rectangular-prismatic, somewhat laterally compressed, with a well-developed adaxial groove, striate, opaque, reddish-brown.

2n

= 40.

= ca. 54, 60, 72, ca. 74, 80, 100, 120.

Eragrostis trichodes

Eragrostis intermedia

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MI; MN; MO; MS; NE; NM; NY; OH; OK; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; FL; GA; KS; LA; MA; ME; MO; MS; NC; NM; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eragrostis trichodes grows in sandy to gravelly prairies, open sandy woods, rocky slopes, and roadsides, at 100-2150 m, often in associations with Quercus marilandica, Q. stellata, Juniperus, and Redfieldia flexuosa. It is endemic to the contiguous United States, and is available commercially as an ornamental. Records from outside the primary range probably reflect introductions.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 93. FNA vol. 25, p. 97.
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. 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. 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. hirsuta, E. hypnoides, 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. trichodes var. pilifera, E. pilifera
Name authority (Nutt.) Alph. Wood Hitchc.
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