Common name
Spring Grass
Early Spring Grass
Cup Grass
Perennial Cupgrass

Derivation
Eriochloa Kunth, in F.W.H.A.Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 94 (1816); from the Greek erion (wool) and chloa (grass), referring to the hairy spikelets and pedicels.

pseudoacrotricha- from the Greek pseudos (false). Resembling Eriochloa racemosa var. acrotricha.

Published in
Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. South Australia 67: 43 (1943).

Habit
Perennial, loosely tufted. Culms erect, 20–100 cm tall, 1–2.5 mm diam., 2–5-noded. Mid-culm nodes brown, pubescent. Lateral branches sparsely branched. Leaf-sheaths loose, mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode, glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.6–1 mm long. Leaf-blades involute, 7–30 cm long, 1.5–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous, glabrous or pubescent. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 2–10, appressed, unilateral, 2–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 5–18 cm long. Rhachis angular.

Spikelets
Spikelets in pairs. Pedicels oblong, 0.5–2.5 mm long, bearing a few hairs, hairy at tip, with 2–3 mm long hairs. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret sterile or male, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, lanceolate, dorsally compressed, acuminate, 3.6–6 mm long, 1.1–1.4 mm wide, falling entire. Spikelet callus globular, incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume, glabrous.

Glumes
Glume 1 (the lower absent or obscure), thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume lanceolate or ovate, 3.7–5.2 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5-nerved. Upper glume surface villous or setose, hairy below. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate to setaceously acuminate, muticous or mucronate or awned.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume, lanceolate or elliptic, 3.7–5.2 mm long, 90% of length of spikelet, 5-nerved, pilose, acute or acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic, 2.3–2.7 mm long, indurate, glossy, 5-nerved. Lemma surface rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute, mucronate. Palea involute, indurate. Anthers 3, 0.8–1.2 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia, South America.

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

Western Australia: Gardner, Fitzgerald, Hall, Dampier, Fortescue, Ashburton, Carnarvon, Austin, Irwin. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Victoria River, Barkly Tableland, Central Australia North, Central Australia South. South Australia: Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens Basin, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty. Queensland: Cook, Burke, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Port Curtis, Leichhardt, Burnett, Wide Bay, Darling Downs, Moreton, Gregory North, Gregory South, Mitchell, Warrego, Maranoa. New South Wales: North Coast, Central Coast, Northern Tablelands, North-Western Slopes, Central-Western Slopes, South-Western Slopes, North-Western Plains, South-Western Plains, North Far Western Plains, South Far Western Plains. Victoria: Murray Mallee, Wimmera, Riverina.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Paniceae

Notes
Native, widespread.