Poaceae
Eragrostis

Eragrostis lingulata Clayton

First published in Kew Bull. 20: 269 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20-30 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 4-8 cm long; 2-4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; linear, or elliptic; dense; 6-15 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches glabrous in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 10-100 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 7-35 mm long; 2-2.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; fragile above; with the distal florets falling as a whole. Rhachilla internodes definite.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 10-100 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 7-35 mm long; 2-2.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; retaining paleas; fragile above; with the distal florets falling as a whole. Rhachilla internodes definite.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5-3 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.6-3.2 mm long; 1-1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets divergent; imbricate to tip. Fertile lemma ovate; 2.5-2.7 mm long; membranous; dark brown, or purple; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 2; 0.1-0.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric; 0.3-0.4 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FWTA.
[GB]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit
Loosely tufted annual about 30 cm. high
Ecology
Weedy places.
[FWTA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0