Eragrostis atrovirens (thalia lovegrass).

Eragrostis atrovirens is a C4 grass cultivated for pasture and hay in tropical and subtropical regions (USDA-ARS, 2016). It has escaped from cultivation and once naturalized it behaves as a weed in roadsides, disturbed sites, waste areas, riparian areas, and grasslands (Barkworth et al., 2004; Flora of China Editorial Committee, 2016; PIER, 2016; PROTA, 2016). This perennial grass has the capability to tolerate drought and high saline conditions as well as seasonally waterlogged conditions. Thus, it can be found growing in floodplain grassland and swampy grassland (Flora of Pakistan, 2016). Currently, it is listed as invasive in Australia, Micronesia, Palau, Chagos Islands, Cuba, and Mexico (Villaseñor and Espinosa-Garcia, 2004; Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012; Simon and Alonso, 2016; PIER, 2016).

The morphometric and numerical analysis of five species of Eragrostis sp. Wolf. based on silica bodies in leaf epidermal cells

Many plants take up soluablemonosilicic acid from the soil. Some of these plants subsequently deposit it as cell inclusions of characteristic structure commonly known as silica bodies or phytolith. In the family Poaceae, different types of silica bodies are characteristic feature of the different subfamily. Eragrostis sp., belonging to the subfamily Chloridoideae. These micro-morphological characters of silica bodies of five species of Eragrostissp applied numerically by UPGMA method. Out of five species Eragrostis atrovirens and Eragrostis gangetica are very closely related and their pairing affinity value is 90%.