Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees
African love grass
Stiff, densely tufted perennials, to 70 cm; branching intravaginal, shoots ± thickened at base. Leaf-sheath coriaceous, strongly ribbed, light creamy brown at base, purplish above, with short, scattered, stiff hairs, lower sheaths tomentose near base. Ligule ciliate, hairs 0.8-1.4 mm. Collar hairs 2-5.5 mm. Leaf-blade 10-55 cm × 0.5-1.3 mm diam., narrowly involute or convolute, abaxially glabrous, adaxially ribbed, ribs minutely scabrid; margins minutely scabrid, long-narrowed to filiform, acute, scabrid tip. Culm 20-80 cm, rarely branched above, erect, internodes glabrous. Panicle 12-22 cm, lax, at first narrow-sagittate, later more open; branches ascending to later spreading, solitary or binate, ± scabrid, branch-axils at lower nodes with hairs (to 4 mm). Spikelets 4.5-6-(8) mm, 4-6-(8)-flowered, ± smooth, not very compressed, linear-lanceolate, olive-grey. Glumes unequal, hyaline, 1-nerved, oblong-lanceolate, apex subacute, minutely scabrid; lower 1.6-2 mm, upper 2.2-2.8 mm. Lemma 2.5-2.8 mm, 3-(5)-nerved, membranous, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, hardly keeled, minutely scabrid. Palea ≈ lemma, keels sparsely scabrid, apex truncate, ciliate. Rachilla glabrous, 0.6-0.8 mm. Stamens 3; anthers 0.9-1.6 mm. Caryopsis 1.4-1.6 × 0.6-0.8 mm.
N.: scattered and local; S.: Canterbury (Christchurch), North Otago (Kurow), Central Otago (Ophir, Wanaka-Cromwell Rd, Earnscleugh); Three Kings Is. Roadsides, in sandy soil, or on banks, depleted tussock grassland, stony flats and waste land. Some records are of escapes from experimental plots.
Naturalised from Africa.
