4.01 EHRHARTA Thunb.
Mary E. Barkworth

Plants annual or perennial; synoecious. Culms 6–200 cm, sometimes woody, erect to decumbent, sometimes branched above the base, usually pubescent; basal branching intravaginal. Leaves basal or basal and cauline; sheaths terete, open; auricles present, often ciliate; ligules 0.5–3 mm, truncate, membranous or of hairs; blades linear to lanceolate, sometimes disarticulating from the sheaths. Inflorescences racemes or panicles; primary branches spreading to ascending; disarticulation above the glumes, not between the florets. Spikelets 2–17 mm, solitary, pedicellate, terete or laterally compressed, with 3 florets, lower 2 florets sterile, at least the upper equaling or exceeding the distal floret, distal floret bisexual. Glumes from about 1/2 as long as to exceeding the florets, (3)5–7-veined. Sterile florets consisting only of lemmas; sterile lemmas firmer than the glumes, glabrous or pubescent, stipitate or non-stipitate, smooth to rugose, unawned or awned, lowest lemma often with lateral earlike appendages at the base, upper lemma subequal to or longer than the distal floret. Bisexual florets: lemmas often indurate at maturity, glabrous, 5–7-veined, keeled, unawned, sometimes mucronate; paleas thinner than the lemmas, 1–2(5)-veined; anthers (1–5)6, yellow; styles 2, fused or free to the base, white or brown. Caryopses laterally compressed. x = 12. Named for Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart (1742–1795), a German botanist of Swiss origin who studied under Linnaeus.

Ehrharta is a genus of approximately 25 species, most of which are native to southern Africa. Three species, all from southern Africa, are established in California.

SELECTED REFERENCES Gibbs Russell, G.E. 1991. Ehrharta Thunb. Pp. 121–129 in G.E. Gibbs Russell, L. Watson, M. Koekemoer, L. Smook, N.P. Barker, H.M. Anderson, and M.J. Dallwitz. Grasses of Southern Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). National Botanic Gardens, Botanical Research Institute, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. 437 pp.; Gibbs Russell, G.E. and R.P. Ellis. 1987. Species groups in the genus Ehrharta (Poaceae) in southern Africa. Bothalia 17:51–65; Jacobs, S.W.L. and S.M. Hastings. 1993. Ehrhata. Pp. 652–654 in G.J. Harden (ed.). Flora of New South Wales, vol. 4. New South Wales University Press, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia. 775 pp.

For an interactive dichotomous key, click here; the interactive, multientry key is not yet available.

1. Upper glumes 3/4–9/10 the length of the spikelets; sterile lemmas hairy, not transversely rugose ... E. calycina
1. Upper glumes less than 3/4 the length of the spikelets; sterile lemmas glabrous or sparsely hispidulous, often transversely rugose distally ... 2
2. Lower sterile lemmas unawned ... E. erecta
2. Lower sterile lemmas awned, the awns 2–20 mm long ... E. longiflora

1. Ehrharta calycina Sm.
Perennial Veldtgrass

Plants perennial; cespitose, often rhizomatous. Culms 30–75(180) cm, erect, glabrous. Sheaths finely striate, smooth, some-times densely pubescent, with short hairs between the veins, usually purplish; auricles ciliate; ligules about 1 mm, lacerate, glabrous; blades 2–9 cm long, 2–7 mm wide, flat or involute, surfaces glabrous, sometimes scabridulous, margins hairy, wavy. Panicles 7–22 cm, sometimes partially enclosed in the upper leaf sheaths, sometimes nodding; pedicels curved or bent, sometimes straight. Spikelets 4–9 mm, U-shaped, purplish. Glumes subequal, 3–8 mm long, 3/4–9/10 the length of the spikelets, 7-veined; sterile lemmas hairy, smooth, lower sterile lemmas from 2/3 the length of to equaling the upper sterile lemmas, bases with earlike appendages, apices of both lemmas mucronate or shortly awned; bisexual lemmas slightly shorter than the upper sterile lemmas, 5–7-veined, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; paleas shorter than the lemmas, 2-veined; anthers 6, 2.5–3.5 mm. Caryopses about 3 mm. 2n = 24–28, 30.

Ehrharta calycina is native to southern Africa. It was introduced to Davis, California, as a drought-resistant grass for rangelands, but it is unable to withstand heavy grazing. It is now common on the coastal sand dunes at San Luis Obispo and San Diego, California, and has been reported from Nevada and Texas. Jacobs and Hastings (1993) describe it as “moderately useful . . . on light soils of low fertility and rainfall between 330 and 760 mm” in New South Wales. Four varieties have been described; they are not treated here.

2. Ehrharta erecta Lam.
Panic Veldtgrass

Plants perennial; weakly ces-pitose. Culms (20)30–100(200) cm, erect or ascending from a decumbent base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes. Sheaths finely striate, glabrous or shortly pubescent; auricles ciliate; ligules to 3 mm, lacerate, glabrous; blades 5–15 cm long, 2–15 mm wide, flat, lax, usually glabrous, smooth or minutely roughened, margins often wavy. Panicles 5–21 cm, erect or nodding, open to contracted; pedicels usually straight, sometimes curved. Spikelets 3–5 mm, oval, greenish. Glumes unequal, membranous to chartaceous; lower glumes 1–2 mm, 1/3–2/3 the length of the spikelets, 3–5-veined; upper glumes 2–2.5 mm, to 3/4 the length of the spikelets, wider than the lower glumes, 5-veined; sterile lemmas 2.5–4.5 mm, indurate, glabrous or sparsely hispidulous, unawned, lower sterile lemmas often with a basal appendage, upper sterile lemmas transversely rugose distally; bisexual lemmas 2.5–3.5 mm, firm, glabrous, obscurely 5–7-veined, often cross veined, unawned; anthers 6, 0.7–1.2 mm. Caryopses about 2 mm. 2n = 24.

Ehrharta erecta was introduced to California from South Africa. It prefers shady, somewhat moist locations, and is best known from the eastern San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, and the campus of the University of California at Riverside. In Australia, it is considered to be a weed of moist, shady places (Jacobs and Hastings 1993). Three varieties have been described; they are not treated here.

3. Ehrharta longiflora Sm.
Longflowered Veldtgrass, Annual Veldtgrass

Plants annual. Culms 15–90 cm, erect or often geniculate basally, often with secondary inflorescences developing from the lower nodes. Sheaths obviously veined, keeled, submembranous, sparsely pubescent at the base; auricles ciliate; ligules 1–2.5 mm, lacerate; blades 6–20 cm long, (1)2.5–15 mm wide, flat, usually softly pubescent or glabrescent, sometimes scabridulous or smooth. Primary panicles 9–15 cm, erect, open, sometimes reduced to a raceme; branches usually ascending, sometimes spreading; pedicels usually curved or bent, sometimes flexuous. Spikelets 8–30 mm, including the awns. Lower glumes 3–3.5 mm long, 0.7–0.8 mm wide, 5-veined; upper glumes 4–4.5 mm long, to 3/4 the length of the spikelets, 1–1.5 mm wide, 7-veined; sterile lemmas 6–13 mm, indurate, glabrous or sparsely hispidulous, sometimes faintly transversely rugose, scabrous distally, lower sterile lemmas 3–7-veined, awned, awns 2–20 mm, upper sterile lemmas with a short stalklike base and 2 inconspicuously bearded ridges, awned or unawned; bisexual lemmas 4–7 mm, 7-veined, unawned; anthers 3, about 1.2 mm. Caryopses about 3–4 mm. 2n = 24, 48.

Ehrharta longiflora is a southern African species, well-established in Australia, that in the Flora region is established near Torrey Pines State Park in southern California. It is said to prefer shaded areas on hillsides and disturbed areas such as gardens and roadsides, usually growing in light sandy to loamy soils. Three varieties have been described; they are not treated here.