Eragrostis dielsii
Encyclopedia
Eragrostis dielsii, commonly known as Mallee Lovegrass, is a species of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 endemic to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

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Description

It grows as an annual or short-lived perennial tuft up to 40 centimetres high with erect, spreading culms. Flowers are green and purple, and occur in panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....

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Taxonomy

This species was first published in 1904 by Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger
Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger
Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger was a German botanist, who specialised in the study of conifers.The genera Pilgerodendron Florin and Pilgerochloa Eig are named in his honour.Selected bibliography...

, based on specimens collected in the vicinity of Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...

. A number of varieties and forms have been published since then, but none are currently maintained.

Distribution and habitat

It is widespread in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, occurring in every mainland state. It is often found in mallee vegetation
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is a Major Vegetation Group which occurs in semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The vegetation is dominated by mallee eucalypts which are rarely over 6 metres high...

. It favours light clay soils, but is also found growing in sands, loams, and limestone soils.
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