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Excerpts from Jim Conrad's
Naturalist Newsletter
from the November 10, 2013 Newsletter issued from the Frio Canyon Nature Education Center in the valley of the Dry Frio River in northern Uvalde County, southwestern Texas, on the southern border of the Edwards Plateau; elevation ~1750m (~5750 ft); N29.62°, W99.86°; USA
INDIAN LOVEGRASS
Though it appears in the picture's center below, you may find it hard to pick out it out our featured grass.
However, if you get down low and view the panicle-type inflorescence against the sky you see that the homely little grass has a graceful side, shown below:
Despite bearing up to 14 florets, individual spikelets are extremely small and slender, only about 1mm across (1/32nd inch), as seen below:
The ligule -- the wall-like structure at the base of many grass leaves where they meet the stem -- consists of a low fringe of densely packed, short hairs, and the lower leaf blade itself bears especially long, soft hairs, as shown below
Last week we looked at Bigtop Lovegrass, Eragrostis hirsuta, which also bore very small spikelets in an unusually diffuse terminal panicle. Now we have the ....
*UPDATE: In 2013 I used the "Keys to the Vascular Plants of East Texas" to identify our plant as Eragrostis pilosa. However, in 2025 after I'd uploaded our pictures to iNaturalist, user "prairie_rambler" said that the "gladular ring on the pedicle" in the picture showing the spikelet closeup suggested Eragrosis minor. "Keys to the Vascular Plants of East Texas," still online, doesn't mention the presence of Eragrosis minor in our area. However, in 2025, with many more resources on the Internet available, I agree with "prairie_rambler." So now I'm filing this page under the name Little Lovegrass, ERAGROSTIS MINOR.
Little Lovegrass is a species of the Old World but introduced to North America, South America, and Australia. In our area it prefers open places with little competition, and sandy or gravelly soils. Its tiny seeds are edible, but hard to harvest and handle; sometimes it's regarded as a famine food.