Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr.

Nardus ciliaris L., Sp. Pl. 53. 1753. Culm tufted, about 25 cm tall, 1 mm across. Blade 7-8 cm. long by 2 mm wide, pubescent throughout; ligule chartaceous, truncate, about 0.3 mm long, hispid on the back. Inflorescence a single raceme, about 3 cm long. Spikelets paired, dimorphic, all sessile, the upper reduced, linear; the lower fertile, ovate, compressed, about 4 mm long. Lower glume ovate, about 3.2 mm long, chartaceous, hirsute on the back, spiny on margins; upper glume lanceolate, chartaceous, margins inrolled, 3-nerved, minutely hirsute on the lower back, about 3 mm long; lower lemma and palea hyaline; lemma lanceolate, about 3.2 mm long; palea 2-keeled on the back, about 3 mm long. Upper floret fertile,hyaline, nerveless. Caryopsis oblong, about 1.5 mm long; embryo 1/2 the length of the caryopsis.

Perennial, densely tufted. Culms erect, slender, 20–60 cm tall, usually pubescent. Leaves crowded at base of culm, overlapping; leaf sheaths keeled, glabrous or pubescent; leaf blades folded, 3–15 × 0.1–0.4 cm, glabrous or pubescent, apex acute; ligule 0.5–1 mm. Raceme falcately curved, 2–5 cm; rachis internodes narrowly oblong, slightly expanded upward, puberulous to thinly hirsute, 1.8–2.5 mm. Sessile spikelet 3.5–4 mm; lower glume oblong-ovate, firmly papery, pubescent on back or subglabrous, 7-veined, marginal spines longer than glume width, longest 1.5–5 mm, apex abruptly acute, usually wingless. Pedicelled spikelet absent; pedicel narrowly ellipsoid, ending in short point. Fl. and fr. Jul–Oct.

Distributed in India, Burma, Malaya, Thailand and Southern China.

Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia (N Queensland)].

Dry grassy hillsides, meadows on sandy soils, roadsides; 300–2000 m.

Nardus ciliaris Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 53. 1753; Eremochloa leersioides (Munro) Hackel; Ischaemum leersioides Munro.