New! - Search other data sources for Aristida annua

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 annua

HABIT Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms 25–50 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches sparse. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades 7–15 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; effuse; 10–20 cm long; 5–12 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 7–8.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5 mm long; pubescent; acute. Floret callus hairs 1 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 6.5–7.5 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous, or scabrous. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1–1.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–8.5 mm long; 1.2–1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface asperulous, or scabrous. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1–1.5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 5.5–6.5 mm long; coriaceous; pallid, or light brown; mottled with last colour; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn with 8–12 mm long limb; without a column; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 8–12 mm long; subequal to principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear; 0.5 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Aristideae. Simon 1993.

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