Poaceae

Pooideae

Chloridoideae
Aeluropodeae
Chlorideae
Eragrosteae
Blepharidachne
Blepharoneuron
Calamovilfa
Dactyloctenium
Dasyochloa
Eleusine
Eragrostis
Erioneuron
Leptochloa
Lycurus
Monroa
Muhlenbergia
Redfieldia
Scleropogon
Sporobolus
Trichoneura
Tridens
Triplasis
Tripogon
Triraphis
Vaseyochloa
Unioleae
Zoysieae
Panicoideae

Arundinoideae

Bambusoideae

Home

Inflorescences

Dissections:
Eleusine indica

ELEUSINE Gaertn.
Plants hermaphroditic, caespitose, occasionally stoloniferous, annual (ours) or perennial. Culms erect to ascending, glabrous; internodes solid, flattened. Leaves basal and cauline; sheaths with compressed keels, margins open; auricles absent; ligules a ciliate membrane; blades flat, not pungent. Panicles of 1 - 12 spicate primary unilateral branches; branches subdigitate (rarely digitate), spreading, terminating in a spikelet. Spikelets solitary, laterally compressed, sessile; disarticulation above glumes; florets 4 - 12, callus glabrous; reduced floret at apex; glumes 1-veined, unequal, shorter than first floret, glabrous; lemmas 3-veined, membranous, entire, awnless to mucronate, glabrous to scabrous, veins glabrous; paleas 2-veined, awnless, glabrous. Stamens 3; anthers yellow. Achenes with free pericarp, terete, transversely rugose. Base chromosome number x = 9.

A genus of about nine species native to South Africa. Finger millett, E. coracana (L.) Gaertn, is grown in Africa for human food and for making beer. Our species is a weed of disturbed habitats and occurs throughout the State.