Eragrostis cumingii Steud.

Steudel, E.G. von (1854) Synopsis Plantarum Glumacearum 1(3): 266.

Cumings Love Grass

Culms tufted, erect, slender, usually with scaly buds at base, glabrous, 20-70 cm tall and 3-4 noded.

Leaf sheaths compressed at base, glabrous, long pilose along summit; ligules 0.1-0.3 mm, fimbriate, up to 3 mm high; leaf blades involute, 5-19 × 0.1-0.2 cm, glabrous on both surfaces, but long pilose at base of adaxial surface.

Inflorescence an open or lax panicle, 8-30 × 4-8 cm; branches solitary, naked in the lower part and glabrous in the axils, with prominent gland at base of inflorescence branch. Spikelets narrowly oblong, 5-20 × 2-2.5 mm and 8-40-flowered. Glumes chartaceous, deltoid-oblong, easily falling off when mature, lower glume 1-veined, ca. 1 mm, upper glume 1-3-veined, ca. 1.3 mm long. Lemmas broadly ovate with the lateral veins nearly parallel, lower lemma ca. 2 mm long. Palea chartaceous, oblanceolate, persistent or tardily deciduous, strongly 2-keeled and ciliate along the keels.

Caryopsis elliptical, terete to laterally flattened and 0.8-1 mm, testa with prominent long and parallel cells.

Features not available.

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and widespread in northern Australia. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 640 m. Grows in Eucalyptus forest, various types of woodland, Acacia shrubland and grassland. Also from Japan and SE Asia.