Aristida holathera

HABIT Annual, or perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely, or moderately. Culms 28–128 cm long; 2–5 -noded. Culm-internodes mid-green, or glaucous; smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse, or ample. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 0.5–3 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.3–0.5 mm long. Collar glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blades straight, or flexuous; filiform, or linear; flat, or conduplicate, or involute; 10–25 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; 8–41 cm long; 1–10 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 2 -nate.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 12–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 1.8–3 mm long; pubescent; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 7–16 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume apex emarginate. Upper glume lanceolate; 12–25 mm long; 1.5–2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 8–13.5 mm long; coriaceous; pallid and light brown; mottled with last colour; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous, or papillose; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea; without distinctive roughness. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 34–78 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Column of lemma awn 18–57 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 27–66 mm long; subequal to principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 4.8–7.9 mm long. Hilum linear; 0.3–0.4 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia. Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Aristideae. Simon 1993.

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