Aristida adscensionis

HABIT Annual, or perennial. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10–100 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5–20 cm long; 1–3 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; elliptic; 10–30 cm long; evenly furnished, or contracted about primary branches.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 6–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5 mm long; pilose; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–7 mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex emarginate, or acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–10 mm long; 0.75–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; laterally compressed; 5–13 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn with 7–25 mm long limb; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 5–25 mm long; subequal to principal, or shorter than principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and Mongolia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Pacific: south-central and north-central. North America: northwest USA, north-central USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Aristideae. FTEA.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.