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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: paupera = "poor" [Latin] refering to the dimminutive culms
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: indigenous
Map
Plant
image credit: Forest & Kim StarrSpikelets
image credit: Forest & Kim StarrDescription
Perennials; culms densely tufted, tough, stiff, strictly erect, up to 2 dm tall, sharply scabrous, almost completely covered by leaf sheaths. Sheaths glabrous, auricles prominent, bristly; ligule a band of stiff bristles ca. 0.6 mm long; blades up to 5 cm long, but usually shorter, upper surface hispid, lower surface slightly scabrous, strongly involute when dry. Inflorescences paniculate, weakly branched, racemose, sharply scabrous; spikelets few to ca. 40, straight to somewhat falcate, 5-45 mm long, flattened, 1-2 mm wide; glumes membranous, strongly keeled, apex rounded or slightly emarginate, first glume ca. 1.5 mm long, second glume ca. 2 mm long; lemmas imbricate, concealing rachilla, appressed, spreading slightly in age, ca. 1.8 mm long, strongly keeled, 3-nerved, keel sharply scabrous above, otherwise glabrous, margins hyaline, apex emarginate; palea oblong, bent outward, ca. 1.5 mm long, persistent, margins hyaline, thickened, hispid-ciliate, apex truncate. Caryopsis golden brown, somewhat flattened, subglobose to ovoid, 0.5-0.8 mm long, 0.4—0.5 mm wide, adaxial surface with a small brown tubercle at base, abaxial surface convex with a somewhat divided depression in lower 1/2
(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 )