Common name: Sickle Lovegrass
Eragrostis falcata (Gaudich.) Gaudich. ex Steud. APNI*
Description: Tufted rhizomatous, sometimes stoloniferous, perennial to 0.4 m high; base usually swollen, thickened with cataphylls, cataphylls glabrous or woolly with hairs to 1 mm long.
Leaves with sheath with tubercle-based hairs to 2 mm long; orifice silky or with occasional hairs to 3 mm long; ligule a ciliate rim with hairs to 0.5 mm long; blade rolled, to 1 mm wide, smooth or sometimes with tubercle-based hairs to 1.5 mm long.
Inflorescence open, 2–13 cm long, to 0.7 cm wide; pedicels to 5 mm long. Spikelets 5–24 mm long, to 1 mm wide, florets 8–40; rachilla persistent with lemmas deciduous, paleas persistent. Glumes c. 1 mm long, obtuse to acute, keeled, smooth, glabrous. Lemmas 1–2 mm long, acute to emarginate, keeled, smooth, glabrous; keel sometimes scabrous. Palea equal to lemma.
Flowering: Flowers in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in sandy areas.
NSW subdivisions: CWS, NWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. S.A. N.T.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
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