Eragrostis paniciformis*
(A.Br.) Steud. Syn. Pl. Glum. 1: 268 (1854).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily
Chloridoideae. Cynodonteae.
Basionym and/or
Replacement Name: Poa
paniciformis A. Braun, Flora 24(1): 274 (1841).
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: HT: Anon., Cultivated in a garden in Carlsruhe, Germany,
from seed collected in Ethiopia
by Schimper (? (photo, US-2851251)).
Key references
(books and floras): [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia.
Habit.
Perennial. Culms erect or decumbent, 65–90 cm tall. Ligule a fringed membrane
or a fringe of hairs, a ciliate membrane, 0.3–0.4 mm long. Leaf-blades
straight, flat or involute or convolute, 3–15 cm long, 2–5 mm wide.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle ovate, 4–22 cm long.
Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets many flowered, with at least 2 fertile
florets (10–26), comprising 10–26 fertile floret(s), with diminished florets at
the apex, ovate, laterally compressed, 4–9 mm long.
Glumes. Glumes
similar. Lower glume ovate, keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Upper glume ovate, 2–3
mm long, keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved.
Florets.
Fertile lemma 2–2.7 mm long, keeled, 3 -nerved. Lemma apex muticous. Anthers 3.
Grain 0.8–1.2 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Africa and Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Queensland.
Queensland: Moreton.
Notes.
A weed.
Distinguishing characters include inflated
spikelet, almost as wide as long, with straight thickened rachilla; paleas
deciduous with their lemmas, subhyaline, with long-ciliate relatively short
keels and short auricle-like flaps; caryopsis turgid, curved, with free
pericarp; largely membranous ligule; closely imbricate florets, with granular
curved lemmas; open, sparse panicle with long-pedicelled spikelets on secondary
branches.
Introduced;
scattered from Maryborough to Brisbane in SE
Qld.; native to tropical East Africa. In
sandy, solodic, podsolic and "wallum" soils, in seed production
stands and disturbed sites.; flowers Apr.-May and Nov.; fruits Apr.-May and
Nov.
