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• Poaceae
• Poaceae Group 9
• Eremochloa
• Eremochloa ophiuroides

Eremochloa ophiuroides — centipede grass

Facts

Centipede grass is a rare visitor to New England, having been collected only in Massachusetts, where it is very distantly separated from more common populations in the southeastern U.S. This exotic, perennial grass was introduced from China. It may get its common name from its prostrate, creeping growth form, or its long, sinuous inflorescences that appear segmented, like a centipede. Tolerant of high temperatures, and with a tendency to form turf, this grass has been planted widely to reclaim bare soils.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther length

  1.8–2 mm

  Awn on glume

  the glume has no awn

  Floret lower bract texture

  the lemma is thin and flexible

  Glume awn length

  0 mm

  Glume relative length

  both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets

  Glume shape

  the glume is flat or curved in cross-section

  Glume veins

  • 3
  • 5
  • 7 or more

  Inflorescence arrangement

  • the plant has two types of spikelets with different reproductive structures
  • the spikelets are uniform

  Inflorescence axis hairs

  the inflorescence axis is smooth and has no hairs

  Inflorescence axis orientation

  • the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
  • the inflorescence axis is straight

  Inflorescence branches

  there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious

  Inflorescence crowding

  NA

  Inflorescence type (general)

  the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches

  Inflorescence type (specific)

  the inflorescence has pairs (or trios) of spikelets, but with one always either missing a stalk or on a shorter stalk than the other

  Inforescence position

  the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem

  Lemma awn base

  NA

  Lemma awn coiled

  NA

  Lemma awn length

  0 mm

  Lemma awn number

  the lemma has no awn

  Lemma awn orientation

  NA

  Lemma cross-section

  the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint

  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

  0

  One or more florets

  there is one floret per spikelet

  Spikelet axis tip

  there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet

  Spikelet disintegration

  the spikelet breaks off below the glumes

  Spikelet length

  2.2–4 mm

  Spikelet number per node

  1–2

  Spikelets per panicle branch

  0

  Spikelets spiny

  the spikelets do not appear spiny

• Growth form

  Horizontal rooting stem

  yes

• Leaves

  Leaf blade width

  1–5 mm

  Leaf ligule length

  0.2–5 mm

  Leaf ligule type

  the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs

  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 no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  Massachusetts

  Specific habitat

  • man-made or disturbed habitats
  • meadows or fields

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Plant height

  10–35 cm

  Stem orientation

  the stems are upright

  Stem spacing

  the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae