Taxon:  Eragrostis ciliaris (L.) R. Br.



Summary
Genus:
Eragrostis
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Chloridoideae
Tribe:
Eragrostideae
Subtribe:
Eragrostidinae
Nomen number:
27886
Place of publication:
Observ. Congo 59.  1818 (ante 3 Mar) (J. H. Tuckey, Narr. exped. Zaire (App. 5) 478.  1818 (5 Mar))
Verified:
08/03/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
9 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Poa ciliaris L.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Andropogon amboinicus (L.) Merr.
Poa amboinica L.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. Arechavaleta, M. et al., eds. 2005. Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
  3. Bor, N. L. 1960. The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan.
  4. Boulos, L. 1995. Flora of Egypt checklist.
  5. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
  6. Burkill, H. M. 1994. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. 2:248-249.
  7. Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
  8. Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
  9. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
  10. Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
  11. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  12. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  13. Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
  14. Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58
  15. Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
  16. Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
  17. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  18. Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
  19. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  20. Lazarides, M. 1980. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia
  21. León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
  22. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  23. Peterson, P. M. & J. Valdés-Reyna. 2005. Eragrostis (Poaceae: Chloridoideae: Eragrostideae: Eragrostidinae) from northeastern Mexico. Sida 21:1378-1379.
  24. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  25. Reed, C. F. 1977. Economically important foreign weeds: potential problems in the United States
  26. Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
  27. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  28. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  29. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  30. Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishgophertail grass  1FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Englishwoolly love grass  1Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands  
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea   
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSomalia  Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan   
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt s.e.Boulos, L. 1995. Flora of Egypt checklist.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini   
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaCape Provincee. 
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaTransvaal  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGambia   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaTogo   
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMauritius   
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaOman  Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia   
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan   
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaIndochina   
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines   
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoYucatán Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanBahamas  Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
4Naturalized    natzd. elsewhere 
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Portugal [Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Egypt (s.e.)
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa [Cape Province (e.), KwaZulu-Natal, Transvaal]
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Mauritius
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
  • INDO-CHINA: Indochina
  • MALESIA: Philippines
Northern America
  • SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Yucatán]
Southern America
  • CARIBBEAN: Bahamas, Cuba
Naturalized (natzd. elsewhere)

Reference(s)
  1. Boulos, L. 1995. Flora of Egypt checklist.
  2. Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
  3. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
  4. Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
  5. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  6. Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
  7. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  8. León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
  9. Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
  10. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  11. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  12. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  13. Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodforage Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58
Animal foodforage Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
Weed  Reed, C. F. 1977. Economically important foreign weeds: potential problems in the United States
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=27886. Accessed 12 May 2026.