Common name
Teff Grass

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.

tef- Amharic. Origin of name is uncertain but may derive from the Arabic tahf (good), a name applied by the Semites of South Arabia to a similar wild grass, the grain of which is collected at times of food scarcity.

Published in
Boll. Soc. Bot. Ital., 1918 62 (1918).

Habit
Annual, tufted. Rootstock not evident. Culms erect, 17–90 cm tall. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–0.8 mm long. Leaf-blades persistent, involute, 10–30 cm long, 2–4 mm wide.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle open or contracted, lanceolate or ovate, 10–40 cm long. Primary panicle branches whorled at lower nodes. Panicle branches flexuous, bearing approximate spikelets, glabrous in axils or bearded in axils.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels filiform. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 4–15 fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, lanceolate or oblong, laterally compressed, 3–9 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, persistent on plant.

Glumes
Glumes similar. Lower glume lanceolate, 1–2.5 mm long, 70–80% length of upper glume, 1-keeled, 0–1-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, 1.4–3 mm long, 80–110% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Upper glume lateral nerves absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

Florets
Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla or divergent (at maturity). Fertile lemma elliptic or oblong, 1.8–2.7 mm long, hyaline or membranous, 3-nerved. Lemma lateral nerves distinct, midway between midnerve and margin. Lemma apex acute. Palea with flaps as wide as body. Palea keels wingless, scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Anthers 3, 0.1–0.2 mm long. Grain with adherent pericarp, oblong, terete or laterally compressed, exposed between gaping lemma and palea at maturity, 1–1.2 mm long, pallid or dark brown or red.

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

Australian Distribution:
South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria.

South Australia: South-eastern. New South Wales: North Coast, Central Coast, North-Western Plains. Victoria: Riverina.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae

Notes
Introduced; scattered in eastern Australia, Tintinara, S.A., near Roma and in the Brisbane area, Qld, Grafton and also Windsor near Sydney, N.S.W., Kerang, Vic., and no precise locality in Tas.; native to Africa and intoduced or an escape in America, Europe, and tropical countries. Flowers Jan., fruits Jan.