Eragrostis spectabilis
(Pursh) Steud. · speciesAt a glance
Sources11 archives
Databases and archives Eragrostis spectabilis's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation4 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility3 722 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI11 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics16 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Eragrostis spectabilis, known as purple lovegrass, is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native from southern Canada to northeastern Mexico. It was first described by Frederick Traugott Pursh in 1813 as Poa spectabilis, and transferred to Eragrostis by Ernst von Steudel in 1840. It is readily eaten by browsing and grazing animals. Eragrostis spectabilis is an upright, tufted grass that grows from 30 to 70 cm tall. Its common name, purple love grass, comes from its inflorescence towards the top of the stem. They bloom in late summer to early fall, turn purple, and contain the seeds. As the plant continues to mature, the inflorescence will often break off, and its movement will disperse the seeds. These seeds are reddish-brown and tend to be 0.6-0.8 mm long. During the fall after seed dispersal, the plant's stem and branches turn soft brown or tan in color. The inflorescence of Eragrostis spectabilis exhibits a whorled branching structure, with three branches coming off the rachis at a time.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology5
Life cycle & reproduction25
Diet & foraging1
Habitat & environment24
Physiology & chemistry23
Uses & economy15
Other traits6
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Eragrostis spectabilis has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manual Eragrostis spectabilis carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 201×CCDB · ipcn-api-dl
2n 401×CCDB · book-atlas-flowering-plants
2n 421×CCDB · book-atlas-flowering-plants
polyploid inferred1×PloiDB · genus-scale
Record type3 722 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions87 of 134 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| Bronx, US | 239 |
| Philadelphia, US | 195 |
| Wuzhou, CN | 191 |
| Madison, US | 156 |
| International Salmonella Centre (W.H.O.)location not on record | 124 |
| Saint Louis, US | 97 |
| St. Paul, US | 92 |
| Bloomington, US | 92 |
| Chongqing Museumlocation not on record | 68 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 67 |
| Williamsburg, US | 61 |
| Tampa, US | 61 |
| Austin, US | 56 |
| Fort Worth, US | 49 |
| Burlington, US | 47 |
| Jena Microbial Resource Collectionlocation not on record | 47 |
| New Haven, US | 43 |
| Ann Arbor, US | 42 |
| US | 34 |
| Jackson, US | 29 |
| University of New Hampshirelocation not on record | 28 |
| Pittsburg, US | 27 |
| Norfolk, US | 22 |
| Columbia, US | 21 |
| Tall Timbers Research Stationlocation not on record | 21 |
| Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record | 21 |
| Chadron, US | 19 |
| Chapel Hill, US | 18 |
| Lincoln, US | 17 |
| BAYLUlocation not on record | 16 |
| Fayetteville, US | 16 |
| Miami, US | 14 |
| Philadelphia, US | 13 |
| Mississippi State, US | 13 |
| Little Rock, US | 11 |
| Tuscaloosa, US | 11 |
| Flagstaff, US | 11 |
| GAlocation not on record | 11 |
| College Park, US | 11 |
| ASUlocation not on record | 10 |
| DOI/NPS, Mississippi National River & Recreation Arealocation not on record | 9 |
| DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record | 8 |
| Comisión Técnico Consultiva de Coeficientes de Agostaderolocation not on record | 8 |
| AUAlocation not on record | 8 |
| Davenport, US | 8 |
| Staten Island, US | 8 |
| San Angelo, US | 8 |
| Knoxville, US | 8 |
| Museo civico La Terra e l'Uomo di Crocetta del Montellolocation not on record | 8 |
| Texas Lutheran Universitylocation not on record | 8 |
| Clemson, US | 7 |
| University of Southern Mississippilocation not on record | 7 |
| Dekalb, US | 7 |
| Lubbock, US | 7 |
| Chapingo, MX | 7 |
| Valdosta State Universitylocation not on record | 6 |
| Museum of the Rockieslocation not on record | 6 |
| GB | 6 |
| Musee des Dinosaures d'Esperaza (Aude)location not on record | 6 |
| Denton, US | 6 |
| Wlocation not on record | 5 |
| Auckland, NZ | 5 |
| EL PASO, US | 5 |
| Denver, US | 5 |
| Millersville, US | 5 |
| Riverside, US | 5 |
| Emporia, US | 5 |
| Edmonton, CA | 4 |
| Fairfax, US | 4 |
| Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record | 4 |
| Beijing, CN | 4 |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanoogalocation not on record | 4 |
| James F. Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studieslocation not on record | 4 |
| Albuquerque, US | 4 |
| McWane Science Centerlocation not on record | 3 |
| Springfield, US | 3 |
| Green Bay, US | 3 |
| University of Guelph, OAC Herbariumlocation not on record | 3 |
| Dover, US | 3 |
| Columbus State Universitylocation not on record | 3 |
| Maryland Department of Natural Resourceslocation not on record | 3 |
| GJOlocation not on record | 3 |
| Provo, US | 3 |
| Chicago, US | 3 |
| Phoenix, US | 3 |
| Boise, US | 3 |
| Kingston, US | 3 |
| Logan, US | 3 |
| University of Wisconsinlocation not on record | 3 |
| Long Beach, US | 2 |
| Tempe, US | 2 |
| Moscow, US | 2 |
| Durango, MX | 2 |
| Bangkok, TH | 2 |
| Morgantown, US | 2 |
| Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record | 2 |
| Russellville, US | 2 |
| Science Museum of Minnesotalocation not on record | 2 |
| Keene State Universitylocation not on record | 2 |
| Oswego, US | 2 |
| Claremont, US | 2 |
| Montecillo, Texcoco, MX | 2 |
| Chicago, US | 2 |
| USFSlocation not on record | 2 |
| Allentown, US | 2 |
| University of North Carolina at Pembrokelocation not on record | 2 |
| Kirksville, US | 2 |
| China Agricultural Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Grand Junction, US | 1 |
| DOI/NPS, Selma to Montgomery National Historic Traillocation not on record | 1 |
| San Luis Obispo, US | 1 |
| Montréal, CA | 1 |
| Asheville, US | 1 |
| Henderson State Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| xMDC-Clintonlocation not on record | 1 |
| Whitewater, US | 1 |
| Gujarat Biodiversity Gene Banklocation not on record | 1 |
| DOI/NPS, Greenbelt Parklocation not on record | 1 |
| Lord Fairfax Community Collegelocation not on record | 1 |
| Toronto, CA | 1 |
| Wellington, NZ | 1 |
| Cslocation not on record | 1 |
| Meguro Parasitological Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preservelocation not on record | 1 |
| Forest Herbarium Ibadan (FHI)location not on record | 1 |
| Torreón, MX | 1 |
| Northridge, US | 1 |
| New Brunswick, US | 1 |
| Barcelona, ES | 1 |
| Waverly, US | 1 |
| Austin, US | 1 |
| Conway, US | 1 |
| LINUlocation not on record | 1 |
| Kew, GB | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Eragrostis spectabilis was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.