Eragrostis atrovirens (Desf.) Trin., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: thalia love grass, wiry lovegrass

Palauan: ouemoket

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Habit: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms geniculately ascending; 30-100 cm long; 1.5-3 mm diam. Leaves basal and cauline. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 15-30 cm long; 2-4 mm wide. Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 4-40 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches ascending. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 6-50 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3-20 mm long; 1.5-2.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; rhachilla persistent; shedding paleas. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas. Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.8-1.7 mm long; 1 times length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.8-1.7 mm long; 0.6-0.8 times length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume apex acute. Florets: Fertile florets divergent; free at tip. Fertile lemma ovate; 1.4-2 mm long; membranous; grey; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Flower: Anthers 3; 0.5-1 mm long. Fruit: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.7 mm long"  World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Africa and Asia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 8)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 42)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 144)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Eragrostis atrovirens is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Eragrostis atrovirens may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Clayton, W.D./Harman, K.T./Williamson, H. 2002. World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval. The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 2. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 137 pp. + plates.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.