New! - Search other data sources for Aristida echinata

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 echinata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms robust; 50–120 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches ample. 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, or pubescent. Leaf-blades involute; 6–12 cm long; 1–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 5–10 cm long; 0.8–2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 0.5–1.5 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 6.3–10 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; 4–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–10 mm long; 0.6–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 6.3–10 mm long; coriaceous; pallid and light brown; mottled with last colour; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface tuberculate; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn with 11–19 mm long limb; without a column; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 11–19 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; 5–8 mm long. Hilum linear; 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.