Eragrostis rotifer Rendle

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Synonyms: Eragrostis airiformis Rendle
Eragrostis angusta Hack.
Eragrostis beroensis Rendle
Eragrostis densiflora Rendle
Eragrostis margaritacea Stapf
Eragrostis platyphylla Rendle
Common names: Vlei plume grass (English) Vlei spoke grass (English)
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Robust caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 150 cm tall, erect, branched or unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, sometimes with glandular dots or patches below the nodes; basal leaf sheaths silky-pubescent at the base, chartaceous, terete, eglandular, persistent; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 10–30 cm × 2–4 mm, linear, flat or involute, stiff and glaucous, glabrous, eglandular.Panicle 25–35 cm long, lanceolate to ovate, loose, the spikelets somewhat condensed about the primary branches on pedicels 2–5 mm long, the primary branches ± whorled (especially below), terminating in a fertile spikelet, pubescent to pilose in the axils, eglandular.Spikelets 4–10 × c. 1 mm, linear, lightly laterally compressed, 7–16-flowered, the florets disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent; glumes subequal (the inferior a little shorter than the superior), 1.2–1.5 mm long, the inferior reaching from 1/2 to 2/3 the way along the adjacent lemma, the superior 1/4 to 1/3 the way, lightly keeled, lanceolate-elliptic in profile, glabrous, obtuse at the apex; lemmas 1.1–1.6 mm long, lightly keeled, narrowly ovate-elliptic in profile, membranous with faint lateral nerves, appressed to or very slightly diverging from the rhachilla, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, greyish-green with yellow apex, glabrous, obtuse or acute at the apex; palea deciduous soon after the lemma, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.5–0.8 mm long.Caryopsis 0.7–0.9 mm long, elliptic.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat: Widespread in hot, low to medium altitudes, on sandy or clayey soils along water, in mopane woodland, in dambo and wooded grassland; and commonly as a weed of cultivated and disturbed places
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Tanzania and southwards to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Botswana distribution: N,SW,SE
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Literature:

Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 15.

Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Pages 109 - 110. (Includes a picture).

Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 22. (Includes a picture).

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 128 - 129. (Includes a picture).

Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 126 - 127. (Includes a picture).

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 137.

Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 189.

Other sources of information about Eragrostis rotifer:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: Eragrostis rotifer
Flora of Malawi: Eragrostis rotifer
Flora of Mozambique: Eragrostis rotifer
Flora of Zambia: Eragrostis rotifer
Flora of Zimbabwe: Eragrostis rotifer

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Eragrostis rotifer
African Plant Database: Eragrostis rotifer
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Eragrostis rotifer
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Eragrostis rotifer
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Eragrostis rotifer
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Eragrostis rotifer
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Eragrostis rotifer
JSTOR Plant Science: Eragrostis rotifer
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Eragrostis rotifer
Plants of the World Online: Eragrostis rotifer
Tropicos: Eragrostis rotifer
Wikipedia: Eragrostis rotifer


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Botswana: Species information: Eragrostis rotifer.
https://www.botswanaflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=105160, retrieved 28 March 2024

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