keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

938 POACEAE/ERAGROSTIS
Eragrostis japonica (Thunb.) Trin., (of Japan), POND LOVE GRASS, JAPANESE LOVE GRASS. Tufted
annual; culms 80(–115) cm or less tall; inflorescences dense, 10–50 mm wide, with stiffly ascending
branches, the main branches with spikelets to the base; spikelets subsessile, 2–3(–3.8)
mm long, 0.6–1.3 mm wide, with (4–)6–8(–12) florets; lemmas 1–1.4 mm long. Roadside ditches,
margins of lakes and streams, moist disturbed areas, typically in sandy soils; Red River (BRIT),
Liberty, Nacogdoches, Newton, and Polk (Turner et al. 2003) cos.; se U.S. from GA s to FL w to
MO, OK, and TX. Aug–Nov. Native of the Old World tropics (Peterson 2003a). [Eragrostis
glomerata (Walter) L.H. Dewey] Some authorities (e.g., Correll & Johnston 1970; Hatch et al.
1990; Yatskievych 1999; Hatch 2002) treat this species as E. glomerata and consider it native to
the U.S. However, we are following the recent Flora of North America treatment (Peterson
2003a) in considering it to be E. japonica. I
Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees (derivation not indicated by author, possibly for Johann G.C.
Lehmann, 1792–1860, German botanist at Hamburg), LEHMANN’S LOVE GRASS. Tufted perennial;
culms usually 40–80 cm tall, � erect, sometimes rooting at lower nodes; inflorescences open;
pedicels 4 mm or less long; spikelets 5–12(–14) mm long, 0.8–1.2 mm wide, with 4–12 florets;
lemmas 1.5–1.7 mm long. Roadsides and disturbed areas; included based on citation of Gonzales
and Madison (Turner et al. 2003) cos.; however, we have been unable to locate any non-cultivated
East TX collections and only tentatively include it as a member of the flora; scattered primarily
in s and w TX; sw U.S. from TX w to CA. (Mar–)Jul–Oct. Native of s Africa. This species
was introduced into the s U.S. for erosion control, but unfortunately it displaces native species in
some areas (Peterson 2003a). I
Eragrostis lugens Nees, (mournful, doleful), MOURNING LOVE GRASS. Tufted erect perennial with
hardened bases; culms usually 35–70 cm tall; inflorescences very open, the main branches naked
of spikelets at the base; pedicels much longer than the spikelets; spikelets usually 3–4.5
mm long, 0.8–1.3 mm wide, with 5–9 florets; lemmas 1.2–1.6 mm long. Sandy areas; Brazos
(Gould 1958), Bell, Harris, Harrison, Nacogdoches, Smith (Turner et al. 2003), and Bastrop (E.
Keith, pers. comm., SBSC) cos. This species is exceedingly similar to E. intermedia (see discussion
under that species). We are following Gould (1975b) in recognizing E. lugens as restricted in
TX primarily (but not exclusively) to vegetational areas 1 (Pineywoods) and 6 (South TX
Plains), and (fide Hatch et al. 1999 and Turner et al. 2003) the Gulf Prairies and Marshes; se U.S.
from NC s to FL w to OK and TX. Flowering mostly Nov–Jan(–spring).
Eragrostis pectinacea (Michx.) Nees ex Steud., (comb-like), PURPLE LOVE GRASS, TUFTED LOVE
GRASS, CAROLINA LOVE GRASS. Low-spreading to erect annual; culms 10–60(–80) cm tall; inflorescences
fairly open, the main branches naked of spikelets at the base; pedicels shorter than to
longer than spikelets; spikelets 3.5–11 mm long, 1–2(–2.5) mm wide, usually with 6–14(–20) florets,
grayish green; lemmas (1.6–)1.8–2.4 mm long. Sandy or clayey roadsides, disturbed areas.
Spring–Nov. The characters used to distinguish the varieties given here are modified from
Correll and Johnston (1970), who treated the taxa as species; however, the distinctions seem too
weak for recognition at the specific level. Reeder (1986), Hatch (2002), and Peterson (2003a)
treated them as varieties; Turner et al. (2003) did not indicate infraspecific taxa. The county distribution
map does not distinguish varieties.
1. Pedicels not appressed, spreading from the inflorescence branches, 3–10 mm long, averaging
� 4 mm ______________________________________________________________________ var. miserrima
1. Pedicels appressed to the inflorescence branches, 1–5 mm long, usually averaging � 4 mm
____________________________________________________________________________ var. pectinacea
var. miserrima (E. Fourn.) Reeder, (possibly from Latin: miser, miserable, sickly, or wretched).
Specimens from Grayson and Limestone (BRIT) cos. may be examples of var. miserrima; scattered
in TX; se Canada (Ont.) and scattered in the U.S., primarily in the s 1/2. [E. arida Hitchc., E.
tephrosanthos Schult.]