Eragrostis potamophila Lazarides

Erect tufted perennials. Culms (40–) 60–90 (–125) cm high. Leaves mostly glabrous; ligule 0.1–0.2 mm long; blade rolled or flat, usually flat and curly with age, to 35 cm long, to 9 mm wide. Panicles loose to open, decompound, 20–37 cm long, 5–12 cm wide; branches spreading to often drooping, naked in lower part. Spikelets pedicellate, becoming laterally compressed, linear, 4.2–25 mm long, 1–2 mm wide; rachilla flexuose, stout; florets 9–55, closely (becoming loosely) overlapping. Glumes unequal, lanceolate; lower glume 0.5–1.3 mm long; upper glume 1–1.8 mm long. Lemma ovate or elliptic, 1.3–1.7 mm long, obtuse, membranous, 3–5-nerved with laterals near margins. Palea ±equal to lemma; body spathulate or oblong to elliptic; keels thick, scaberulous. Stamens (2–) 3; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm long. Grain usually laterally compressed, oblong, 0.5–0.7 mm long, white-striate, reddish brown. Pericarp free or adnate.

A fringing species of watercourses, also found on theforeshore of saline estuaries and in swampy ground. Often occurs in sandyalluvial soil but also on basaltic rocks and lateritic podsols.