Eragrostis curvula — weeping lovegrass
![Leaves: Eragrostis curvula. ~ By Emma Silviana Mauri. ~ Copyright © 2024 Emma Silviana Mauri. ~ silviana.mauri[at]virgilio.it ~ Acta Plantarum - www.actaplantarum.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Poaceae/eragrostis-curvula-le-emauri1.jpg)
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Facts
Originally introduced from Africa, weeping lovegrass is a rare visitor to New England, having been collected from waste areas in Massachusetts and Rhode Island; indeed, it reaches the northern edge of its range in our region. It gets its common name from its tufts of long, curving leaves and nodding panicles, which enhance its value as an ornamental grass. It also has been planted widely to reclaim eroded soils. Birds and small mammals feast on its ripe seeds, and livestock graze young plants. This grass also supports a diverse insect fauna including cinch bugs, seed bugs, leafhoppers, and turtle bugs.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), grassland
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Leaf blade width
- 1–3 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 4–10 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.6–1.5 mm
- Anther length
- 0.6–1.2 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.6–1.2 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume veins
- 1
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence length
- 160–400 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma is hairless or feels just a tiny bit rough at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma marginal vein hairs
- the marginal vein of the lemma is hairless
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
- 3
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 4–10 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Upper glume length
- 2–3 mm
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizomes
- no
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 1–3 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.6–1.5 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of fine hairs
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hairs
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- grasslands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Roots at lower stem nodes
- no
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
3. Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees E
weeping lovegrass. MA, RI. Waste areas, disturbed soil.
Native to North America?
No