✕
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: mauiensis = from Maui
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: endemic
Map
Specimen
Holotype specimen
Description
Perennials; culms tufted, erect, 3-4 dm tall, glabrous. Sheaths glabrous, slightly villous at throat; ligule membranous, margins ciliate, less than 0.5 mm long; blades 10-15 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, usually involute, upper surface sparsely villous near base, lower surface glabrous, apex attenuate to a fine point. Inflorescences paniculate, oblong, open, ca. 30 cm long, 5-7 cm wide, the branches slender, stiffly ascending, up to 10 cm long, scabrous, axils villous, ultimate branches and pedicels stiffly ascending, usually longer than spikelets; spikelets brownish yellow, usually 8-10- flowered, 7-10 mm long; glumes subequal, l-nerved, keel scabrous, acuminate, first glume ca. 2 mm long, slightly shorter and narrower than second glume, nearly as long as lowest lemma, awn-tipped; lemmas imbricate and concealing rachis, 2-2.5 mm long, faintly 3-nerved, keel obscurely scabrous near apex, otherwise glabrous, rounded on the back or keeled toward apex; palea slightly shorter than lemma, minutely ciliate. Caryopsis dark brown, oblong, ca. 1.2 mm long, finely alveolate.
(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 )