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 bipartita

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–65 cm long; 1–3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled; conduplicate; 5–20 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 10–25 cm long; 6–13 cm wide; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches spreading; 1 -nate; 2–10 cm long. Panicle branches glandular (in axils); scaberulous.

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 evident; 0.4–0.5 mm long; pilose; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 6.5–8 mm long; 1.1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 1.1–1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex emarginate, or acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 5–6 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 7–14 mm long limb; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 7–14 mm long; subequal to principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical and south.

NOTES Aristideae. FZ.

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