''Eragrostis pectinacea'' is a species of

grass 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 an ...

known by the common name tufted lovegrass. This plant is native to the Americas from Canada to Argentina. It is widespread, growing in most open spaces at varying elevations and habitats, including in disturbed areas and roadsides.

Description

''Eragrostis pectinacea'' is an annual tuft-forming

bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...

, reaching maximum heights of anywhere from 10 to 80 centimeters. It is mostly hairless except for a fringe of hairs near where the leaf blade meets the sheath. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is open with spreading branches holding yellowish to purplish spikelets, each just under centimeter long. Each narrow spikelet has up to 15 or 20 tiny florets.

Taxonomy

''Eragrostis pectinacea'' was first described by André Michaux in 1803, as ''Poa pectinacea''. It was transferred to '' Eragrostis'' in 1841 by Christian Nees von Esenbeck. ''

Eragrostis tracyi ''Eragrostis tracyi'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Florida in the United States. It was first described by Albert Hitchcock in 1934. It has also been treated as a variety of ''Eragrostis pectinacea ''Eragro ...

'' is treated by some sources as a variety of this species, but recognized by others as a separate species.

Distribution

''Eragrostis pectinacea'' is widely distributed in the Americas, from Canada through the United States to Mexico in

northern America Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. 20 ...

, in Central America and the Caribbean, and in parts of South America. It has been introduced into Europe and further south than its native range in South America, in northeast Argentina and Uruguay.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Eragrostis pectinacea''Grass Manual Treatment
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5384820 pectinacea Bunchgrasses of North America Bunchgrasses of South America Grasses of the United States Native grasses of California Grasses of Mexico Grasses of Argentina Grasses of Canada Flora of Northern America Flora of Central America Flora of the Caribbean Flora of northern South America Flora of western South America Flora of Brazil Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Mojave Desert Plants described in 1803 Flora without expected TNC conservation status