New! - Search other data sources for Aristida aemulans

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Aristida aemulans

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 40–70 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled; 20–40 cm long; 2–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; interrupted; 13–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1 -nate; 3–5 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 6–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.3–0.4 mm long; pubescent; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5–4 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse, or acute; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 1.7–1.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough above. Upper glume apex emarginate, or obtuse, or acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 3.5–4 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex rostrate; with a short cylindrical neck; with this appendage 0.5–1 mm long; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 12–15 mm long limb; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 8–10 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.1 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Aristideae. FZ.

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