Eragrostis pectinacea (Michx.)
Carolina Lovegrass

Habit: 		Tufted annual resembling E. pilosa.
Culms: 		10-40 cm. tall, smooth, slender, densely-tufted, ascending or spreading from a
		decumbent base, branching below.
Blades: 	4-9 cm. long, 1-2 mm. wide or more, flat, soon involute, rough above, margins
		slightly rough.
Sheaths: 	Shorter than the internodes, pilose at the throat.
Ligule: 	Dense ring of hairs about 1 mm. long.
Inflorescence: 	Panicles exserted or partly included, mostly ovate, open, 7-20 cm. long,
		axis somewhat angular, flexuous, the spikelets usually loosely imbricate, appressed
		on the branches.
Spikelets: 	5-15-flowered, at maturity 3-8 mm. long, numerous, mostly linear, dark lead-green,
		shining, often longer than their pedicels.
Glumes: 	2, acute, unequal, first about 1.2 mm. long, the second 1.8 mm. long.
Lemmas: 	Acute, firm, about 1.5-1.6 mm. long, 3-nerved, the lateral nerves prominent,
		the rachilla not or scarcely exposed.
Palea: 		Slightly shorter than its lemma, arched, ciliate, persistent.
Fruit: 		Grain 0.8 mm. long.
Kansas Range:	Nearly throughout.
Remarks: 	Quite often a weed.  The name E. pectinacea has been misapplied to E. spectabilis.
Synonyms:	Eragrostis pectinacea (Michx.) Nees ex Steud. var. pectinacea
		Eragrostis caroliniana auct. non (Spreng.) Scribn.
		Eragrostis diffusa Buckl.
		Eragrostis purshii hort. ex Schrad.