Aristida meridionalis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or woolly. Culms erect; 100–200 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs woolly. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades involute; 25–50 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; nodding; 40–80 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 10–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 1–2 mm long; pilose; 2-toothed.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 10–15 mm long; 1.4–1.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 7–9 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 40–50 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Column of lemma awn 5–15(–18) mm long. Lateral lemma awns 40–50 mm long; subequal to principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Aristideae. FTEA.

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