Eragrostis capensis

Eragrostis capensis, commonly Cape lovegrass, in Afrikaans hartjiegras (little heart grass) or bosluisgras (tick grass) and previously scientifically E. brizoides, is a tufted perennial grass reaching heights from 30 cm to 90 cm, varying with rainfall and soil conditions.

The sparse, rolled-in leaves are up to 30 cm long and 5 mm wide.

The heart-shaped to fan-shaped spikelets are golden brown, sometimes purple-tinged and straw coloured when dry. The spikelets grow angled up, close together or slightly spaced at stem-tips in branched inflorescences. Spikelets become up to 12 mm long and 7 mm wide. Flowering happens in spring and summer.

The species distribution is widespread in southern and tropical Africa, occurring in all nine South African provinces although absent from the arid northwest. The photo was taken in the Salmonsdam Nature Reserve.

The habitat is fynbos, renosterveld and open grassland slopes and flats, often on stony hills and also in sourveld. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

The plant is palatable to game and stock, valued as fodder. The spikelet shape makes this one of the easiest to recognise Eragrostis species of the large genus (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Moriarty, 1997; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).