Family: Poaceae
Eleusine indica
Citation:
Gaertner, Fruct. 1:8 (1789).
Synonymy: Cynosurus indicus L., Sp. Pl. 72 (1753).
Common name: None
Description:
Annual or perennial, to 90 cm high; leaf blades conduplicate, sheaths and bases of the blades with few long hairs.
Inflorescence a finger-like cluster of 2-10 spikes, the lower shortly spaced near the top of the culm, the upper tightly clustered, each spike 2-9 cm long, to c. 5 mm wide, sessile, green; spikelets 4-7 mm long, lanceolate, 3-5-flowered, flattened; glumes shorter than the lemmas, oblong-lanceolate, keeled; lemmas lanceolate, keeled, 3-4 mm long, not incurved.
Published illustration:
Meredith (1955) The grasses and pastures of South Africa, fig. 102; Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 92.
Distribution:
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S.Aust.: EP, NL, MU, SL, SE. All mainland States. Native to tropical and subtropical countries.
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Conservation status:
naturalised
Flowering time: Feb. — March.
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SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia
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Biology:
This species may be confused with Leptochloa digitata, but can be identified by the prominently keeled glumes and lemmas.
Author:
Not yet available
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