Moorochloa eruciformis (Sm.) Veldkamp

sweet signal grass


Info

Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus etymology: Moorochloa = "dumb grass" [Greek]. Named in response to the Nomenclatural Committee of the International Association of Plant Taxonomists failure to conserve the prior name
Species etymology: eruciformis = "caterpillar carrying" [Latin] refering to the inflorescence resembling caterpillars
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: naturalized - accidental
First recorded in Hawaiʻi: 2023
Legal status: HDOA - noxious weed

Map

 Distribution of Moorochloa eruciformis in Hawaiʻi.

Inflorescence

Moorochloa eruciformis Inflorescence

Habit

Moorochloa eruciformis Habit

Spikelets

Moorochloa eruciformis Spikelets
Moorochloa eruciformis Spikelets
Moorochloa eruciformis Spikelets
Moorochloa eruciformis Spikelets

Description

Loosely tufted annual; culms 10–60 cm. high, slender, geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–15 cm. long, 2–6 mm. wide, glabrous or pubescent. Inflorescence of 3–14 racemes on an axis 1–8 cm. long; racemes 0.5–2.5 cm. long, secund, bearing single spikelets imbricate on a triquetrous rhachis. Spikelets elliptic, 1.7–2.7 mm. long, pubescent (rarely glabrous or villous), subacute; lower glume a tiny scale 0.2–0.5 mm. long (up to 1/5 the length of the spikelet); upper lemma readily deciduous, smooth, shiny, obtuse.
(Description source: Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. 1982. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Gramineae (Part 3). A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. 448 pp. )

Annual up to 60 cm high, slender, geniculately ascending; leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate, glabrous or pubescent. Inflorescence of 3–14 racemes on an axis 1–8 cm long; racemes 0.5–2.5 cm long, secund, bearing single spikelets imbricate on a triquetrous rhachis. Spikelets elliptic, 1.7–2.7 mm long, pubescent, subacute, without a stipe; lower glume up to 1/5 the length of the spikelet; upper glume adjacent to the lower; upper lemma readily deciduous, smooth and shining, obtuse.
(Description source: Cope, T.A, (1995) Flora Somalia, Vol 4. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, London. 312 pp. )

Loosely tufted annual. Culms 10–60 cm. high, geniculately ascending. Inflorescence of 3–14 racemes, these 0.5–2.5 cm. long, bearing single spikelets on a triquetrous rhachis, sometimes with a secondary racemlet at the base. Spikelets 1.7–3 mm. long, pubescent (very rarely glabrous), subacute. Inferior glume a tiny scale up to 1/5 length of spikelet. Superior floret readily deciduous, its lemma smooth, shiny and obtuse.
(Description source: Launert, E. & Pope, G.V. (eds.). 1989. Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 10. Part 3. Kew, London. 152 pp. )

Plants mat-forming. Culms (10)19–60 cm, decumbent, rooting at the lower nodes before geniculately ascending, sometimes branching from the upper nodes; nodes pubescent; internodes glabrous. Sheaths glabrous or pubescent; ligules to 1 mm; blades 2–6(12) cm long, 3–6 mm wide, pubescent (rarely pilose) on both surfaces, bases subcordate. Panicles 4–9 cm long, 0.5–1 cm wide, exserted, with 3–15 erect to appressed branches; branches 1–2 cm, hispidulous; pedicels 0.1–0.5 mm, pubescent. Spikelets (1.6)2–2.6 mm long, 0.8–1 mm wide, ovate. Lower glumes 0.3–0.5 mm, to 1/5 the spikelet length; upper glumes (1.6)2–2.5 mm; lower lemmas longer than the paleas, 5-veined, without cross-venation; upper lemmas (1.4)1.7–1.8 mm long, 0.6– 0.9 mm wide; anthers 0.5–1 mm, reddish. Caryopses 1–1.5 mm. 2n = 18, 36.
(Description source: Barkworth, M.E., Capels, K.M., Long, S. & Piep, M.B. (eds.) 2003. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, Part 2. Oxford University Press, New York. 783 pp http://floranorthamerica.org/Moorochloa_eruciformis )