Gramineae

Eragrostis chalcantha Trin.

Narrow heart love grass

Chloridoideae; Chlorideae. There are about 350 species of Eragrostis with a cosmopolitan, but mostly subtropical distribution in the world.

Occurs from southern Africa to Sudan and in Mozambique where it may be commonly found in Savanna and Grassland, but also other vegetation types throughout the region.

A densely tufted, short perennial grass that grows to a height of 800 mm tall. The leaves are mainly basal and the culms are sturdy and erect. Old leaves curl and turn a red-brown colour. The leaf blades are 60-100 mm long and 1.5-4.5 mm wide. The basal sheaths are glabrous or thinly silky-hairy. The inflorescence is a false spike and may be open or contracted, sparsely branched, the primary branches are stiff with 2-4 spikelets on short stout pedicels. The spikelets are dark greenish-grey, olive or brownish grey, with a smooth outline and 3-10 mm long. The rachilla is persistent and the lemmas and/or paleas break up from the base upwards. The glumes are cartilaginous, ovate and boat-shaped. The lemma has indistinct lateral nerves. The palea keels are a narrow, entire, scaberulous ridge.
E. racemosa is often confused with E. nindensis, which has yellow-green spikelets with a serrate outline and a fragile rachilla that breaks up from the apex downwards. Also similar to E. sclerantha subsp. sclerantha which has basal sheaths with dense woolly hairs.

Used in erosion control where it is useful cover on shallow soils and heavily grazed areas. It is relatively well grazed, but has low leaf production.

Chromosome base number, x = 10

C₄ photosynthetic pathway.

None reported and considered to be non-toxic

Occurs mostly areas where the annual rainfall exceeds 600 mm per annum. Increases in abundance in rangeland that is overgrazed, where it acts as a sub-climax species. It is often found in disturbed places and may also occur on gravely soil in damp places.

Grows in shallow sandy, stony or clayey soil.

E. racemosa is not propagated.

Broadly summer-growing species that flowers from early spring to late autumn.

None known

Moderate to slow-growing

Acocks, J.P.H. 1988. Veld types of South Africa (3rd edn.). Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. No 28. Government printer, Pretoria.

Gibbs-Russell, G.E., Watson, L., Koekemoer, M., Smook, L. Barker, N.P., Anderson, H.M., Dallwitz, M.J. 1989. Grasses of southern Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa, No. 58, National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Van Wyk, E. & Van Oudtshoorn, F. 1999. Guide to grasses of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Arcadia, South Africa.