Common name
Spring Grass
Tall Cupgrass
Cup Grass

Derivation
Eriochloa Kunth, in F.W.H.A.Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 94 (1816); from the Greek erion (wool) and chloa (grass), referring to the hairy spikelets and pedicels.

crebra- from the Latin creber (pressed together). Racemes held erect appressed to inflorescence axis.

Published in
Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 59: 156 (1948).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Culms erect, 35–100 cm tall, 2–5-noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple or sparsely branched. Leaf-sheaths tight or loose, mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.6–1 mm long. Leaf-blades 4–25 cm long, 2–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, puberulous. Leaf-blade margins smooth. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 5–25, unilateral, 1.5–5 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 9–25 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing imbricate.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary or in pairs. Pedicels oblong, 1–2 mm long, bearing a few hairs, hairy at tip, with 2.5 mm long hairs. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret sterile or male, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, lanceolate or ovate, dorsally compressed, acute or acuminate, 3.7–5.5 mm long, 1–1.3 mm wide, falling entire. Spikelet callus globular, incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume, glabrous.

Glumes
Glume 1 (the lower absent or obscure), thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume lanceolate or ovate, 3.9–5.5 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5-nerved. Upper glume surface pilose or setose, hairy below. Upper glume margins eciliate or ciliate. Upper glume apex acute, muticous or mucronate.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume, lanceolate or elliptic or ovate, 3.9–5.5 mm long, 90% of length of spikelet, 5-nerved, pilose, acute or acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic or oblong, 2–3 mm long, indurate. Lemma surface rugulose or rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute, mucronate. Median (principal) awn 1 mm long overall. Palea involute, indurate. Anthers 0.9–1.3 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales.

Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf. South Australia: Lake Eyre. Queensland: Cook, Burke, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Port Curtis, Leichhardt, Burnett, Wide Bay, Darling Downs, Moreton, Gregory North, Gregory South, Mitchell, Warrego, Maranoa. New South Wales: North Coast, North-Western Slopes, Central-Western Slopes, North-Western Plains, South-Western Plains, North Far Western Plains.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Paniceae

Notes
Endemic. Occurs over a wide geographical area, and is regarded as a good forage grass. Flowers Feb.–June.