Common name
Pitted Lovegrass

Derivation
Eragrostis Wolf, Gen. Sp. Pl. 23 (1776); from the Greek, eros (loving), together with Agrostis, the Greek name of an indeterminate herb.

Or from the Greek er (early) and agrostris (wild). Species of Eragrostis are commonly early invaders of arable land.

Or from the Greek eri, an inseparable particle used as a prefix to strengthen a word in the sense of very much, that is a many-floreted Agrostis.

barrelieri- in honour of Jacques Barrelier (1606–1675). French botanist.

Published in
J. Bot. (Morot) 8: 289 (Sept. 1894); Bull. Soc. Bot. France 41: 556 (Nov. 1894).

Habit
Annual, loosely tufted. Rootstock not evident. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 5–50(–80) cm tall. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blades straight, persistent, flat or involute, 2–10 cm long, 2–5.5 mm wide, glaucous, glandular. Leaf-blade margins eglandular.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle open, lanceolate or oblong, 3–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading, bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches stiff, bearing congested spikelets, glandular.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels glandular. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 5–30 fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, linear or lanceolate or oblong, laterally compressed, 5–23 mm long, 1.3–2 mm wide, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets rhachilla persistent. Spikelets retaining paleas.

Glumes
Glumes deciduous, similar. Lower glume lanceolate, 0.5–1.3 mm long, 50–60% length of upper glume, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, 1–2 mm long, 70–90% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Upper glume lateral nerves absent. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla, free at tip. Fertile lemma oblong or ovate, 1.7–2.6 mm long, membranous, yellow or grey or purple, 3-nerved. Lemma lateral nerves distinct, close to margins. Lemma apex obtuse, muticous. Palea with flaps narrower than body. Palea keels wingless, scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Anthers 3, 0.1–0.2 mm long. Grain with adherent pericarp, ellipsoid or oblong, laterally compressed, not grooved, 0.65–1 mm long, dark brown.

Continental Distribution:
Europe, Africa, Temperate Asia, Tropical Asia, Australasia, North America, South America.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales.

Western Australia: Carnarvon, Eucla, Irwin. Northern Territory: Central Australia North, Central Australia South. South Australia: North-western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens Basin, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty. New South Wales: North Far Western Plains.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae

Notes
Introduced; occurs in W.A. on Dirk Hartog Is. on the W coast and near the S.A. border at Deakin, around Alice Springs in N.T., the Flinders Ra. and to the S in S.A. and Broken Hill in N.S.W.; native to the Mediterranean region; introduced in Africa, U.S.A. and India. Flowers and fruits all year.