''Eragrostis'' is a large and widespread genus of plants in the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

, found in many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. ''Eragrostis'' is commonly known as lovegrass or canegrass. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek words ἔρως (''eros''), meaning "love", and ἄγρωστις (''agrostis''), meaning "grass". Lovegrass is commonly used as livestock

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

. The seeds appear to be of high nutritional value for some animals, but they are also very tiny and collecting them for human food is cumbersome and hence uncommon. A notable exception is teff ('' E. tef''), which is used to make traditional

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

s on the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, such as Ethiopian '' injera'' and Somalian '' laxoox''. It is a crop of commercial importance. '' E. clelandii'' and '' E. tremula'' are recorded as famine foods in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

, respectively. Other species, such as '' E. amabilis'', are used as ornamental plants. '' E. cynosuroides'' is used in the '' pūjā'' rites in the Hindu temple at Karighatta. Bahia lovegrass ('' E. bahiensis'') is known as a hyperaccumulator of caesium-137 and can be grown to remove the highly toxic radioactive atoms from the environment. Weeping lovegrass ('' E. curvula'') has been planted extensively to prevent

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

. Seed dispersal is often done by passing animals; the grains' hooks latch on to fur or hair, or to clothes. Others are wind or gravity dispersed. Several

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

s feed on lovegrass, including invertebrates such as the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s of the

Zabulon skipper The Zabulon skipper (''Lon zabulon'') (sometimes called the southern dimorphic skipperJames A. Scott (1986). ''The Butterflies of North America''. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. ) is a North American butterfly first described by the ...

(''Poanes zabulon'') and vertebrates. The

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

bluebuck (''Hippotragus leucophaeus'') was known to graze these grasses. The dense bunches also provide cover for small animals such as the rare

Botteri's sparrow Botteri's sparrow (''Peucaea botterii'') is a medium-sized sparrow. This passerine bird is primarily found in Mexico, with a breeding range that extends into the southeastern tip of the U.S. state of Arizona, and a small non-migratory populatio ...

(''Aimophila botterii''). Lovegrasses may be important groundcover on oceanic islands like Laysan, where other plants are rare.

Taxonomy

''Eragrostis'' is the type genus of the tribe Eragrostideae. ;Formerly included Many species now considered better suited to other genera, including ''

Cladoraphis ''Cladoraphis'' (common name bristly lovegrass) is a genus of African plants in the grass family, native to southern Africa. Its phylogenetic position within the subfamily has not yet been resolved. ; Species * '' Cladoraphis cyperoides'' (Thunb ...

Coelachyrum ''Coelachyrum'' is a genus of Asian and African plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Coelachyrum brevifolium'' Hochst. & Nees - Algeria, Egypt, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Oman, Yemen, Saudi A ...

Desmazeria ''Desmazeria'' is a genus of Mediterranean plants in the grass family, related to ''Catapodium''. The genus is named for John Baptiste Henri Joseph Desmazières, (1796-1862) a French merchant, amateur botanist, and editor of scientific journals. ...

Diplachne

Ectrosia ''Ectrosia'' is a genus of Asian, Australian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Ectrosia agrostoides'' Benth. - Maluku, Aru Islands, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland * '' Ectrosia anomala'' C.E.Hub ...

Festuca

Harpachne ''Harpachne'' is a genus of Asian and African plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Harpachne bogdanii'' Kenn.-O'Byrne – Kenya * '' Harpachne harpachnoides'' (Hack.) B.S.Sun & S.Wang – China (Sichuan, Yunnan) * '' Harpachne schimperi'' ...

Poa ''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass (mainly in Europe and Asia), bluegrass (mainly in North America), tussock (some New Zealand species), a ...

'' etc. Starr 041229-2580 Eragrostis atropioides.jpg, ''

Eragrostis atropioides ''Eragrostis'' is a large and widespread genus of plants in the grass family, found in many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. ''Eragrostis'' is commonly known as lovegrass or canegrass. The name of the genus is derived fr ...

'' flowers Starr 050208-3896 Eragrostis curvula.jpg, weeping lovegrass (''Eragrostis curvula'') Eragrostis 1ziarnek.jpg, little lovegrass (''Eragrostis minor'') Starr 010520-0040 Eragrostis variabilis.jpg, '' Eragrostis variabilis''

References

External links

* *
Interactive Key to ''Eragrostis'' of North America
{{Authority control Poaceae genera Grasses of Africa Grasses of Asia Grasses of Europe Grasses of North America Grasses of Oceania Grasses of South America