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Descriptions

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

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

Aristida gracilipes

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms geniculately ascending; 60–115 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous. Lateral branches fastigiate. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades involute; 4–8 cm long; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially, or on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear; 12–21 cm long; 1–3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 4–6 cm long. Panicle branches with insignificant pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 8–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; pubescent; acute.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; 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 smooth to scabrous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–10 mm long; 0.5–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex emarginate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 8–11 mm long; coriaceous; pallid, or light brown; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn spreading; with 10–20 mm long limb; without a column; persistent. Lateral lemma awns spreading as much as principal; 10–16 mm long; subequal to principal, or shorter than principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 6–8 mm long. 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.