Eragrostis aethiopica Chiov.

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Photo: Petra Ballings
Maleme Dam Rest Camp, Matobo National Park

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Synonyms:	Eragrostis gracillima Hack.
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Description:	Tufted annual grass with erect or ascending culms up to 60 cm high, hairless and without glands at the nodes; leaf sheaths hairless; ligule a line of hairs. Leaves linear, 3–20 cm long, flat or rolled in, hairless and without glands. Panicle elliptic, 6–25 cm long, open and very delicate; pedicels 2.5–7 mm long. Spikelets linear, 1.7–5 mm long, lightly laterally compressed, 6–28-flowered; glumes dorsally rounded or lightly keeled, lanceolate in profile, hairless; inferior 0.3–0.5 mm long, superior 0.6–0.8 mm long. Lemmas narrowly ovate in profile, 0.7–1 mm long, lightly keeled.
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Derivation of specific name:	aethiopica: of Ethiopia, a historic name for large parts of Africa
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Worldwide distribution:	Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Also in Arabia.
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Chapano, C. (2002). A checklist of Zimbabwean grasses Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 16. Pretoria. Page 5. Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Pages 107 - 108. (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 133. Fish, L., Mashau, A.C., Moeaha, M.J. & Nembudani, M.T. (2015). Identification Guide to Southern African Grasses Strelitzia 36 South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 290. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 38. 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 103. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 129. Poilecot, P. (2007). Eragrostis species of Zimbabwe Éditions Quae,Versailles, France Pages 124 - 125. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 136. Van Oudtshoorn, F.P. (1992). Grasses of South Africa Briza Publications, South Africa Page 265. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Eragrostis aethiopica:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Eragrostis aethiopica
Flora of Malawi: Eragrostis aethiopica
Flora of Mozambique: Eragrostis aethiopica
Flora of Zambia: Eragrostis aethiopica
Flora of Zimbabwe: Eragrostis aethiopica

External websites:

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