Eragrostis leptocarpa Benth.

Slender tufted annuals or short-lived perennials, mostly glabrous and smooth, often purple near base. Culms sometimes geniculate and rooting at the lower nodes, (9–) 30–60 (–85) cm high. Leaves: ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–1 mm long; blade flat and to 3.8 mm wide or convolute, straight. Panicles finally open, 9–30 cm long, 4–18 cm wide, decompound, sometimes scaberulous; basal branches whorled; branches often drooping, divided, naked in lower part. Spikelets pedicellate, linear, 3–7.5 mm long, 0.7–1 mm wide; rachilla persistent, flexuose; florets 4–10, loosely overlapping, falling entire; apical floret vestigial. Glumes unequal, linear or lanceolate to ovate, hyaline; lower glume 0.5–0.9 mm long; upper glume 0.7–1.3 mm long. Lemma lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 1.4–2 mm long, notched, hyaline to membranous. Palea hyaline; body oblong; keels scaberulous; flaps almost as wide as body. Stamens 3; anthers 0.1–0.3 mm long. Grain trigonous or quadrangular, linear-oblong, 0.6–1.1 mm long, orange-brown.

ound in deep red and white sands, red-brown loams, and grey, blackor brown clays; commonly in seasonally wet habitats in association withlaterite, quartzite or granite.