Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Eragrostis | > | mollior |
Synonyms: |
Eragrostis longipaniculata De Wild. |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | Local |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Densely tufted perennial grass without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 120 cm tall, erect, unbranched, hairless at the nodes, more or less densely hairy on the internodes when young; ligule a line of hairs. Leaves linear, 15–50 cm long, flat or rolled in when dry, scaberulous to velvety, rarely smooth and hairless, blue-green to bright green; basal sheaths densely woolly below, disintegrating into persistent fibres. Panicle 15–50 cm long, broadly linear to lanceolate in outline, diffuse or contracted, spikelets evenly distributed, branches stiff and straight, usually terminating in a slender bristle, often with long silky hairs in the axils. Spikelets ovate-oblong, 2–4.5 mm long and 2–2.5 mm wide, not compressed, 3–10-flowered; glumes lanceolate to ovate-oblong, hairless; lemmas dorsally rounded, ovate-elliptic to ovate, 1.7–2.2 mm long. |
Notes: | This species in the field is quite similar to the more common and widespread Eragrostis acraea, also a robust densely tufted plant occurring in similar habitats. That species has much longer and narrower spikelets. E. mollior is in Zimbabwe only known from the greater Chimanimani area. |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | In high rainfall grassland, open woodland and disturbed places. |
Altitude range: (metres) | Up to 2140 m |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | E |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Friday 5 July 2019 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 345. Chapano, C. (2002). A checklist of Zimbabwean grasses Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 16. Pretoria. Page 6. 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 62. (Includes a picture). Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 134. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 40. As Eragrostis longepaniculata 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. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 130. Poilecot, P. (2007). Eragrostis species of Zimbabwe Éditions Quae,Versailles, France Pages 52 - 53. (Includes a picture). Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 85. |
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