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 anthoxanthoides

HABIT Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms 15–30 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades 4–9 cm long; 1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; pilose; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; oblong; 8 cm long; 2.5–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; pubescent; acute.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–8 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth to scabrous. Lower glume apex emarginate, or acute, or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–7 mm long; 0.8–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth to scabrous. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 5–7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface tuberculate; rough above. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea; without distinctive roughness. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn flat below; with 10–15 mm long limb; without a column; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 10–15 mm long; subequal to principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; 5–6 mm long. Hilum linear; 0.2–0.3 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Aristideae. Simon 1993.

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