Eragrostis atropioides Hillebr.

no known common names


Info

Subfamily: Chloridoideae
Genus etymology: Eragrostis = "love grass" [Greek] unclear origin, other etymologies such as "early grass" or "very grass" have also been speculated
Species etymology: atropioides = "resembling Atropis Rupr" [Latin] Atropis is a now defunct genus characterized by lacking keels on its florets
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: endemic

Map

 Distribution of Eragrostis atropioides in Hawaiʻi.
 Distribution of Eragrostis atropioides in Hawaiʻi.

Inflorescence

Eragrostis atropioides Inflorescence
Eragrostis atropioides Inflorescence
Eragrostis atropioides Inflorescence

Plant

Eragrostis atropioides Plant

Habit

Eragrostis atropioides Habit
Eragrostis atropioides Habit

Spikelets

Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets
Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets
Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets
Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets
Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets
Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets
Eragrostis atropioides Spikelets

Landscape

Eragrostis atropioides Landscape
Eragrostis atropioides Landscape
Eragrostis atropioides Landscape
Eragrostis atropioides Landscape

Collar

Eragrostis atropioides Collar
Eragrostis atropioides Collar
Eragrostis atropioides Collar

Rhizomes

Eragrostis atropioides Rhizomes

Description

Perennials in loose tufts, with hard, scaly rhizomes up to 7 cm long; culms erect, stiff, 10-15 dm tall, glabrous, slightly scabrous below panicles. Sheaths glabrous, pilose at throat and along the margins, especially in the sterile shoots; ligule a pilose ridge, the hairs ca. 5 mm long, also with silky hairs 4- 6 mm long; blades 30-40 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, upper surface scabrous, lower surface glabrous, apex long-acuminate. Inflorescences paniculate, erect, contracted but scarcely spike-like, 25-50 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, the branches several per node, 0-10 cm long, appressed, the nodes pilose; spikelets linear, many-flowered, up to 2.5 cm long, rachilla glabrous; glumes slightly unequal, narrowly ovate, 3-4 mm long, scabrous on keel, apex acuminate; lemmas pale green or purplish green, closely imbricate, 2-3 mm long, glabrous except minutely scaberulous at apex, the apex obtuse to erose; palea persistent, 2-3 mm long, upper portion of keels ciliate, apex obtuse and usually erose. Caryopsis dark red, narrowly ovoid to fusiform, 0.7-1 mm long.
(Description source: O’Connor, P.J. 1990. Poaceae, pp. 1481–1604. In: Wagner W.L., Herbst D.R. & Sohmer S.H. (eds.)., Manual of the flowering plant of Hawaiʻi. Vol. 2. University of Hawaii Press & Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu )