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<big>''[[Eragrostis nindensis]]'' Ficalho & Hiern</big>
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Eragrostis nindensis'' (PROTA)}}
:Protologue: Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 2: 32 (1881).
== Synonyms ==
*''Eragrostis denudata'' Hack. (1895).
== Vernacular names ==
*Perennial lovegrass, wether lovegrass (En). *Eragrostis vivace (Fr).
== Origin and geographic distribution ==
In Namibia the grain of ''Eragrostis nindensis'' is eaten. ''Eragrostis nindensis'' is a palatable pasture grass and is well utilized by sheep in particular. The young leaves are sucked to treat colds.
== Properties Description ==
*Perennial, tufted grass up to 90 cm tall, with a short oblique rhizome; stem (culm) erect, unbranched, glabrous at the nodes.
*Leaves alternate, simple, mainly forming a basal tuft; leaf sheath glabrous or with straight silky hairs, terete; ligule a line of hairs; blade linear, 5–30 cm × 2–3 mm, involute, rarely flat.
*Inflorescence a panicle 5–20 cm long, ovoid with stiffly spreading primary branches, or narrowly lanceolate and densely contracted, or linear and interrupted with the spikelets in clusters on stubby side branches, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet.
*Spikelet almost sessile, ovate to narrowly oblong, strongly laterally compressed, 4–20 mm × 1.5–4 mm, 7–30-flowered, dark yellowish green to dull grey, with bisexual florets; glumes almost equal, ovate, 1–2 mm long, keeled, glabrous, apex acute; lemma ovate, 2–3.5 mm long, keeled, leathery, apex acute to acuminate; palea oblong-elliptical, glabrous on the sides; stamens 3, anthers 1–1.5 mm long; ovary superior, with 2 stigmas.
*Fruit an ellipsoid caryopsis (grain) 1–1.5 mm long.
== Description Other botanical information == Perennial, tufted grass up to 90 cm tall, with a short oblique rhizome; stem (culm) erect, unbranched, glabrous at the nodes. Leaves alternate, simple, mainly forming a basal tuft; leaf sheath glabrous or with straight silky hairs, terete; ligule a line of hairs; blade linear, 5–30 cm × 2–3 mm, involute, rarely flat. Inflorescence a panicle 5–20 cm long, ovoid with stiffly spreading primary branches, or narrowly lanceolate and densely contracted, or linear and interrupted with the spikelets in clusters on stubby side branches, the primary branches not in whorls, terminating in a fertile spikelet. Spikelet almost sessile, ovate to narrowly oblong, strongly laterally compressed, 4–20 mm × 1.5–4 mm, 7–30-flowered, dark yellowish green to dull grey, with bisexual florets; glumes almost equal, ovate, 1–2 mm long, keeled, glabrous, apex acute; lemma ovate, 2–3.5 mm long, keeled, leathery, apex acute to acuminate; palea oblong-elliptical, glabrous on the sides; stamens 3, anthers 1–1.5 mm long; ovary superior, with 2 stigmas. Fruit an ellipsoid caryopsis (grain) 1–1.5 mm long.
''Eragrostis'' is a large and taxonomically complex genus comprising more than 350 species mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. ''Eragrostis nindensis'' is a polymorphic species, varying widely in the shape of the inflorescence and spikelet.
In southern Africa ''Eragrostis nindensis'' flowers from October to June. It is a so-called ‘resurrection plant’, able to survive near-complete desiccation of its tissues. It retains mobile water in its leaves even when dried naturally to less than 20% water content. It also disassembles chloroplasts when too dry to maintain photosynthesis to avoid light-induced oxidative stress. Young seedlings, however, are sensitive to drought.
== Ecology ==
''Eragrostis nindensis'' is found in bare, exposed or disturbed locations at 600–2400 m altitude, often on moist sandy and stony soils and on granite outcrops.
== Management ==
== Author(s) ==
* M. Brink , PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands
== Correct citation of this article ==
Brink, M., 2006. '''Eragrostis nindensis''' Ficalho & Hiern. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. In: Brink, M. & Belay, G. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>. Accessed {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.
