Eragrostis cilianensis(All.) Vignolo ex Janch.

stinkgrass

WFO wfo-0000867548 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Robbie Hannawacker
fig. a Robbie Hannawacker, CC0 1.0 / 2021-12-12 / obs. 172223250
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Daryl Nolan
fig. b Daryl Nolan, CC0 1.0 / obs. 169542046
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Catherine C. Galley
fig. c Catherine C. Galley, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 168555089
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Cecelia Alexander
fig. d Cecelia Alexander, CC0 1.0 / obs. 160008574
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Sue Ann Kendall
fig. e Sue Ann Kendall, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 151517778
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Sam Kieschnick
fig. f Sam Kieschnick, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 150366732
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Kym Nicolson
fig. g Kym Nicolson, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 116152861
Eragrostis cilianensis, photographed by Quinten Wiegersma
fig. h Quinten Wiegersma, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 95438844

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 119 botanical countries

Regions where Eragrostis cilianensis is native: Algeria, Angola, Azores, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Free State, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Réunion, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Senegal, Socotra, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Gulf States, Hainan, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Korea, Lebanon-Syria, Manchuria, Mongolia, Nansei-shoto, North Caucasus, Oman, Palestine, Qinghai, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang, Yemen, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Albania, Baleares, Bulgaria, Corse, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kriti, Krym, NW. Balkan Pen., Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine AlgeriaAngolaBeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCameroonCape ProvincesCaprivi StripCentral African RepublicChadDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaFree StateGhanaIvory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLesothoLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSenegalSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambiaZimbabweAfghanistanChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastCyprusEast Aegean Is.Gulf StatesHainanInner MongoliaIranIraqJapanKazakhstanKirgizstanLebanon-SyriaManchuriaMongoliaNorth CaucasusOmanPalestineQinghaiSaudi ArabiaSinaiTadzhikistanTaiwanTranscaucasusTürkiyeTurkmenistanUzbekistanXinjiangYemenAssamBangladeshEast HimalayaIndiaJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalukuMyanmarNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSri LankaSulawesiThailandVietnamWest HimalayaAlbaniaBulgariaCorseFranceGreeceHungaryItalyKritiKrymNW. Balkan Pen.PortugalRomaniaSiciliaSpainTürkiye-in-EuropeUkraine AzoresCape VerdeMauritiusRéunionRodriguesKoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Nicobar Is.BalearesSardegna
Native distribution of Eragrostis cilianensis, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Angola ANG
Azores AZO
Benin BEN
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Cape Provinces CPP
Cape Verde CVI
Caprivi Strip CPV
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Djibouti DJI
DR Congo ZAI
Egypt EGY
Eritrea ERI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Free State OFS
Ghana GHA
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Lesotho LES
Libya LBY
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritania MTN
Mauritius MAU
Morocco MOR
Mozambique MOZ
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Réunion REU
Rodrigues ROD
Rwanda RWA
Senegal SEN
Socotra SOC
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Tunisia TUN
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Cyprus CYP
East Aegean Is. EAI
Gulf States GST
Hainan CHH
Inner Mongolia CHI
Iran IRN
Iraq IRQ
Japan JAP
Kazakhstan KAZ
Kirgizstan KGZ
Korea KOR
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Manchuria CHM
Mongolia MON
Nansei-shoto NNS
North Caucasus NCS
Oman OMA
Palestine PAL
Qinghai CHQ
Saudi Arabia SAU
Sinai SIN
Tadzhikistan TZK
Taiwan TAI
Transcaucasus TCS
Türkiye TUR
Turkmenistan TKM
Uzbekistan UZB
Xinjiang CHX
Yemen YEM
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
West Himalaya WHM
Albania ALB EUROPE
Baleares BAL
Bulgaria BUL
Corse COR
France FRA
Greece GRC
Hungary HUN
Italy ITA
Kriti KRI
Krym KRY
NW. Balkan Pen. YUG
Portugal POR
Romania ROM
Sardegna SAR
Sicilia SIC
Spain SPA
Türkiye-in-Europe TUE
Ukraine UKR

Not drawn on the map: Socotra. We hold no public-domain boundary for this region, so it is listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 105 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Briza eragrostis L.
  • Briza eragrostis var. megastachya Gareizo
  • Briza major Desv. ex Kunth
  • Briza megastachya Steud.
  • Briza oblonga Moench
  • Briza purpurascens Muhl.
  • Calotheca purpurascens (Muhl.) Spreng.
  • Eragrostis argentina Jedwabn.
  • Eragrostis articulata De Wild.
  • Eragrostis cilianensis f. leersioides (C.Presl) Maire
  • Eragrostis cilianensis f. megastachya (Koeler) Maire & Weiller
  • Eragrostis cilianensis subsp. major (Beck) Maire & Weiller
  • Eragrostis cilianensis subsp. megastachya (Koeler) Maire & Weiller
  • Eragrostis cilianensis subsp. starosselskyi (Grossh.) Tzvelev
  • Eragrostis cilianensis subsp. thyrsiflora (Willk.) H.Scholz & Valdés
  • Eragrostis cilianensis var. leersioides (C.Presl) Maire
  • Eragrostis cilianensis var. minoroides P.Monts.
  • Eragrostis cilianensis var. starosselskyi (Grossh.) Dobignard & Portal
  • Eragrostis cilianensis var. subbiloba (Chiov.) Dobignard & Portal
  • Eragrostis cilianensis var. thyrsiflora (Willk.) Dobignard & Portal
  • Eragrostis costata F.Turner
  • Eragrostis eragrostis (L.) MacMill.
  • Eragrostis eragrostis subvar. leersioides (C.Presl) Farw.
  • Eragrostis eragrostis var. megastachya (Koeler) Farw.

and 81 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.