| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Eragrostis | > | desolata |
| Synonyms: |
Eragrostis sp. (Simon 839) of Simon |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Densely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 70 cm tall, erect, unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, with an annular glandular patch below the nodes and punctate or crateriform glands on the internodes; basal leaf sheaths densely and shortly pilose to glabrescent below, chartaceous, terete or lightly compressed, eglandular, persistent; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 5–14 cm × 0.5–2(4.5) mm, involute and ± filiform or flat and narrowly linear, glabrous to densely pilose, eglandular.Panicle 10–22(30) cm long, ovate-oblong or elliptic, open with stiff branches, the spikelets evenly distributed on pedicels 2–5 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous in the axils, the axis, primary branches, branchlets and pedicels with punctate or crateriform glands, the branchlets and pedicels also with annular glands.Spikelets 5–10 × 2.5–4 mm, elliptic-oblong, laterally compressed, 8–14-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent; glumes subequal, 1.4–1.6 mm long, reaching to between 2/3 and 3/4 the way along the adjacent lemmas, keeled, lanceolate in profile, scaberulous on the keel, acute at the apex; lemmas 1.8–2.1 mm long, keeled, elliptic-ovate in profile, membranous with indistinct lateral nerves, diverging from the rhachilla at less than 45°, those in opposite rows imbricate and concealing the rhachilla, olive-green to leaden-grey, scaberulous on the keel, subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, minutely ciliolate; anthers 3, 1–1.2 mm long. Caryopsis 0.8–1 mm long, oblong. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | |
| Habitat: | Montane grassland. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 1120 - 1680 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Only known from the Chimanimani Mts in Mozambique and Zimbabwe |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | E |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | Near Endemic |
| Red data list status: | Lower Risk - near threatened |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 24. Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Page 144. Darbyshire, I., Timberlake, J., Osborne, J., Rokni, S., Matimele, H., Langa. C., Datizua, C., de Sousa, C., Alves, T., Massingue, A., Hadj-Hammou, J., Dhanda, S., Shah, T., Wursten, B. (2019). The endemic plants of Mozambique: diversity and conservation status Phytotaxa 136 Page 78. Golding, J.S. (ed.) (2002). Zimbabwe Plant Red Data List. Southern African Plant Red Data Lists. SABONET 14 Page 176. Mapaura, A. (2002). Endemic Plant Species of Zimbabwe. Kirkia 18(1) Page 131. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 104. Poilecot, P. (2007). Eragrostis species of Zimbabwe Éditions Quae,Versailles, France Pages 202 - 203. (Includes a picture). Timberlake, J., Darbyshire, I., Wursten, B., Hadj-Hammou, J., Ballings, P., Mapaura, A., Matimele, H., Banze, A., Chipanga, H., Muassinar, D., Massunde, J., Chelene, I., Osborne, J., Shah, T. (2016). Chimanimani Mountains: Botany and Conservation. Report produced under CEPF Grant 63512. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Page 47. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 85. |
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