Abstract:
Agrostis eriantha Hack. (1904) is a tufted, rhizomatous
perennial that grows in wetlands of Swaziland,
Lesotho, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Free State,
KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape. This relatively
rare grass appears to be sensitive to disturbance and is
mainly found in pristine habitats. In 1945, Goossen &
Paperndorf described a form of the species collected by
Pole-Evans on the farm Doornkloof, Irene, as A. eriantha
Hack.var. planifolia Gooss. & Paperndorf. The main
diagnostic character used to distinguish the two varieties
was the length of the callus hairs as shown in Figures 1
and 2. In Agrostis eriantha var. eriantha, the callus hairs
are up to one third the lemma length while in var. planifolia,
the callus hairs are up to half the lemma length.
Another suggested difference was in the leaf blades,
which are said to be folded in var. eriantha and fl at in
var. planifolia. Other possible differences are discussed
in the results section.
