• You are here:
• Dichotomous Key
• Poaceae
• Poaceae Group 5
• Eleusine
• Eleusine indica

Eleusine indica — goosegrass

Facts

Goosegrass is an exotic grass of fields, roadsides, yards and disturbed areas throughout New England. It is regarded as a weed throughout much of its range, which extends to India and beyond. Its long, spreading spikes resemble goose feet.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther length

  0.5–1 mm

  Anther number

  3

  Awn on glume

  the glume has no awn

  Floret lower bract texture

  the lemma is thin and flexible

  Floret number

  5–7

  Glume relative length

  neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets

  Glume veins

  • 1
  • 3
  • 5

  Inflorescence arrangement

  the spikelets are uniform

  Inflorescence axis orientation

  • the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
  • the inflorescence axis is straight

  Inflorescence branches

  the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence

  Inflorescence type (general)

  the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches

  Inflorescence type (specific)

  the inflorescence is branched and the branches all grow from the same side of the plant and look like spikes

  Lemma awn base

  NA

  Lemma awn length

  0 mm

  Lemma awn number

  the lemma has no awn

  Lemma cross-section

  the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint

  Lemma hairs

  the lemma is hairless between the veins

  Lemma marginal vein hairs

  the marginal vein of the lemma is hairless

  Lemma surface

  the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)

  Lemma tip

  the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)

  Lemma vein number

  3

  One or more florets

  there is more than one floret per spikelet

  Palea relative length

  palea is one half to fully as long as lemma

  Spikelet axis tip

  there is an extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet

  Spikelet length

  4–7 mm

  Spikelet pedicel

  the spikelets do not have pedicels

  Spikelets spiny

  the spikelets do not appear spiny

• Leaves

  Leaf auricles

  the leaves do not have auricles

  Leaf blade width

  3–7 mm

  Leaf ligule length

  0.2–1 mm

  Leaf ligule type

  the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs

  Leaf sheath closed around stem

  the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)

  Leaf sheath hair type

  there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath hairs

  there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • man-made or disturbed habitats
  • meadows or fields

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Stem spacing

  the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts

Wetland status

Occurs most often in non-wetlands, but rarely in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU-)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae