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Annual, perennial herb; often glandular, glands often wart-like, round, pitted.
Leaf: sheath margin hairy on sides just below collar; ligules ciliate.
Inflorescence: generally panicle-like, open or dense, occasionally spike-like, often glandular.
Spikelet: laterally compressed; glumes ± unequal, acute or acuminate, 1(3)-veined; florets 3–many, axis breaking above glumes and between florets, or persistent, with glumes, lemmas deciduous, paleae remaining attached or not; lemma keeled or rounded, acute or obtuse, 3-veined, veins generally obvious; palea ± = lemma.
Fruit: 0.4–2.4 mm, variously-shaped, occasionally longitudinally grooved, generally not noticeably compressed, generally red-brown.
± 300 species: tropics, warm temperate. (Greek: eros, love, agrostis, a kind of grass) [Peterson 2003 FNANM 25:65–105]
Unabridged references: [Hilu and Alice 2001 Syst Bot 29:545–552; Koch 1974 Ill Biol Monogr 48:1–74]

Key to Eragrostis

1. Perennial; spikelet axis breaking tardily above glumes and between florets

2. Lf blade 12–50 (65) cm; spikelet 1.5–2 mm wide; lemma 1.8–3 mm; fruit ± 1.5 mm ..... E. curvula

2' Lf blade 2–12 cm; spikelet 0.8–1.2 mm wide; lemma 1.4–1.7 mm; fruit 0.6–0.8 mm ..... E. lehmanniana

1' Annual; spikelet axis persistent, glumes and lemmas falling from axis, paleae generally persistent

3. Plants mat-forming; basal portion of stem prostrate, rooting at nodes ..... E. hypnoides

3' Plants generally not mat-forming; basal portion of stem erect, not rooting at nodes

4. Fr with 1 or both ends truncate; surface checkered, with an evident groove on 1 side ..... E. mexicana

5. Spikelet ovate to oblong, 1.5+ mm wide; inflorescence branches often with scattered glands ..... subsp. mexicana

5' Spikelet linear to lance-linear, ± 1 mm wide; inflorescence not glandular ..... subsp. virescens

4' Fr variously-shaped, tip rounded; surface smooth, not grooved

6. Plant without conspicuous glands or glandular areas (rarely so in Eragrostis pilosa)

7. Palea deciduous; lower glume < 1/2 lowest floret; lowest inflorescence branches whorled ..... E. pilosa var. pilosa

7' Palea persistent; lower glume > 1/2 lowest floret; inflorescence branches alternate or opposite ..... E. pectinacea

8. Spikelet stalks spreading ..... var. miserrima

8' Spikelet stalks appressed to branches, diverging < 20° ..... var. pectinacea

6' Plant with conspicuous glands or glandular areas on leaf sheath, blade margin, inflorescence axis and branches, spikelet stalk, or lemma keel

9. Infl contracted, 0.5–2 cm wide, 1° branches generally ascending to appressed; spikelets light yellow ..... E. lutescens

9' Infl open to contracted, 2–18 cm wide, 1° branches diverging; spikelets ± green, red-purple, or lead-colored

10. Spikelets 2–4 mm wide; glume and lemma keels glandular; anthers yellow ..... E. cilianensis

10' Spikelets 1.1–2.2 mm wide; glume and lemma keels not glandular; anthers red-brown

11. Anthers 2; spikelet stalks generally with a distal ring of cup-shaped glands; lemma keels sometimes glandular ..... E. minor

11' Anthers 3; spikelet stalks without a distal ring of cup-shaped glands; lemma keels not glandular ..... E. barrelieri

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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