Eriochloa acuminata
Eriochloa lemmonii
Southwestern cupgrass, taper-tip cup grass
canyon cupgrass
30-120 cm, erect or decumbent, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes;
internodes glabrous or with scattered hairs;
nodes glabrous or pilose.
20-80 cm, erect or decumbent, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes;
internodes densely pubescent to pilose;
nodes pubescent to pilose.
some times conspicuously inflated, glabrous or pubescent;
ligules 0.2-1.2 mm;
blades 5-12(18) cm long, (2)5-12(16) mm wide, linear, flat or folded, straight or lax, glabrous or sparsely pubescent adaxially.
from conspicuously inflated to not inflated, glabrous or pubescent to pilose;
ligules 0.5-1 mm;
blades 5-15 cm long, 6-20 mm wide, lanceolate, flat, straight, diverging or ascending, velvety pubescent adaxially.
7-16 cm long, 1-6 cm wide, loosely contracted;
rachises scabrous or hairy;
branches 5-20, 1-5 cm long, 0.4-0.6 mm wide, appressed to divergent, pubescent, sometimes setose, not winged, with 20-36 spikelets, spikelets mostly in unequally pedicellate pairs, solitary distally;
pedicels 0.1-1 mm, hairy.
5-15 cm long, 0.5-4 cm wide, spreading or contracted;
rachises hairy;
branches (2)3-8(10), 1-4 cm long, 0.4-0.6 mm wide, appressed or reflexed and spreading, velvety pubescent, not winged, with 10-14 spikelets, spikelets in unequally pedicellate pairs at the middle of the branches, solitary distally;
pedicels 0.5-1 mm, pilose, apices hairy or glabrous.
3.8-5(6) mm long, 1.1-1.4 mm wide, lanceolate to ovate.
3-4.5(4.9) mm long, 1.2-1.7 mm wide, elliptic.
absent;
upper glumes equaling the lower lemmas, lanceolate to ovate, hairy, 5(7)-veined, acuminate to acute, unawned or awned, awns to 1.2 mm;
lower lemmas 3.6-5 mm long, 1.1-1.4 mm wide, lanceolate to ovate, setose, 5(7)-veined, acuminate to acute, unawned;
lower paleas absent;
anthers absent;
upper lemmas 2.3-3.3 mm, 0.7-0.9 times as long as the lower lemmas, indurate, elliptic, rounded, 5-veined, awned, the awns 0.1-0.3 mm;
upper paleas indurate, blunt, rugose.
equaling the lower lemmas, nearly glabrous or sparsely to densely pilose, elliptic, 5-7-veined, acute, unawned;
lower lemmas 2.7-4 mm long, 1.2-1.7 mm wide, elliptic, setose to pilose, 5-veined, acute, unawned;
lower paleas 1-4 mm, hyaline;
anthers absent or 3;
upper lemmas 2.3-3.3 mm, elliptic, indurate, dull, rough, occasionally with a few long hairs, acute to rounded, sometimes mucronate;
upper paleas indurate.
= 36.
= 36.
Eriochloa acuminata
Eriochloa lemmonii
Eriochloa acuminata is native to the southern United States and northern Mexico, but has become established outside this region. It may hybridize with E. lemmonii, from which it differs in its lack of lower paleas, upper glumes and lower lemmas with level veins, and narrower, glabrous or sparsely pubescent leaf blades.
There are two varieties of Eriochloa acuminata, differing as shown in the key below. Both grow in Mexico as well as the United States.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Eriochloa lemmonii, a rare species, grows in canyons and on rocky slopes in Pima County, Arizona, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, and adjacent Mexico. The record from Tennessee reflects an introduction. It is not known if the species has persisted in the region.
Eriochloa lemmonii may hybridize with E. acuminata, from which it differs in the frequent presence of lower paleas, raised veins of the upper glumes and lower lemmas, broad, velvety pubescent leaf blades, and blunt spikelets. Reports of E. lemmonii from Texas may be based on hybrids between the two species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spikelets 4-6 mm long, long-acuminate or tapering to a short awn | var. acuminata |
1. Spikelets 3.8-4 mm long, acute | var. minor |
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