Eragrostis racemosa (Thunb.) Steud.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Chinyakwaremba, Vumba.

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Synonyms:	Eragrostis chalcantha var. effusa Rendle Eragrostis chalcantha Trin. Eragrostis lasiophylla K. Schum. Eragrostis sclerantha sensu B.K. Simon Poa racemosa Thunb.
Common names:	Narrow heart love grass (English)
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	Caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 90 cm tall, erect, unbranched, glabrous at the nodes, eglandular; basal leaf sheaths glabrous or thinly silky-pilose, chartaceous, terete, eglandular, persistent or sometimes decaying into fibres; ligule a line of hairs; leaf laminas 6–10(30) cm × 2–5 mm, linear, flat or involute, glabrous to pilose on both sides, eglandular.Panicle 3–18 cm long, narrowly ovate or rarely narrowly oblong, open or ± contracted, the primary branches stiff, racemose or with short branchlets bearing only 1 or 2 spikelets, these spreading on pedicels 1–2 mm long, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet, glabrous or pubescent in the axils, eglandular.Spikelets 3–10(15) × 1.5–4.5 mm, typically narrowly ovate, but varying from narrowly oblong to subrotund, laterally compressed, 6–16(40)-flowered, the lemmas disarticulating from below upwards, the rhachilla persistent; glumes subequal, 1.2–2.8 mm long, reaching to between 1/3 and 1/2 the way along the adjacent lemmas, keeled, narrowly ovate in profile, scabrid on the keel, obtuse at the apex; lemmas 1.7–3.8 mm long, keeled, ovate to broadly ovate in profile, cartilaginous with indistinct lateral nerves, at length widely diverging from the rhachilla, those in opposite rows not imbricate, the rhachilla visible between them, olive- to dark green, glabrous, subacute at the apex; palea persistent, glabrous on the flanks, the keels slender, wingless, scaberulous; anthers 3, 0.7–1.3 mm long.Caryopsis 0.5–0.7 mm long, almost square.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	racemosa: in racemes or racemose, referring to the branches of the inflorescence with pedicellate spikelets forming racemes.
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Sep - Apr
Worldwide distribution:	From Sudan to South Africa, Madagascar and Arabia.
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 346. Chapano, C. (2002). A checklist of Zimbabwean grasses Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 16. Pretoria. Page 6. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 24. 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 124 - 126. (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 134. 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 326. Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 20. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 40. 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. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 130. Poilecot, P. (2007). Eragrostis species of Zimbabwe Éditions Quae,Versailles, France Pages 156 - 157. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 137. Simon, B.K. (1971). Zambian grass list Kirkia 8(1) Page 61. also as E. sclerantha Simon, B.K. (1971). Rhodesian grass list. Kirkia 8(1) Pages 27 - 28. also as E. sclerantha Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 147. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 85.

Other sources of information about Eragrostis racemosa:

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

External websites:

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