Eragrostis pilosa (L.) Beauv. en E. minor Host in Nederland

The two species of Eragrostis naturalized in the Netherlands, formerly referred to as E. poaeoides and E. multicaulis, should be called E. minor and E. pilosa. Both appear to be naturalized on a larger scale than was indicated in the Atlas of the Netherlands Flora i. They have spread extensively in very recent years. E. minor is, apart from its occurrence in the province of Zeeland, principally a railway companion. E. pitosa is chiefly a plant of treaded sites, occurring in joints of pavements and incidentally on heavily compacted soil. In Zeeland however, E. minor appears to be more succesfull in this kind of habitat than E. pilosa. Originally, E. multicaulis was accepted as separate from E. pilosa. Because of the variation in the specimens of the type collection E. multicaulis has been lectotypified: Eragrostis multicaulis Steudel, Syn. PI. Gram, i (nov. 1854), p. 426 [syn. Glyceria airoides Steudel, I.e. (apr. 1854), p. 287, non (Koeler) Reichenb. 1829]. Lectotype: Burg, s.n., 'Poa suzumenokatabira', in L (908.87-2116, upper specimen). Differences between E. multicaulis and E. pilosa are discussed. It is concluded that the same variation occurs in the Netherlands as is observed elsewhere, and that no features can be considered sharply differentiating between both supposed taxa. The opinion of Koch (1974) that both belong to the same taxon, viz. E. pilosa (L.) Beauv. var.pilosa, is subscribed to. Establishment of E.pilosa in the Netherlands has probably followed after introduction and cannot be interpreted as a natural shift of this species' northern boundary from N. France to the Netherlands.