Aristida nemorivaga

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 50–100 cm long; 4 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled; 10–20 cm long; 1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; elliptic; interrupted; 10–20 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Panicle branches scabrous.

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 evident; 1 mm long; bearded; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5.5–8 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–11 mm long; 1–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex emarginate, or truncate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 7–11 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein without distinctive roughness, or scaberulous. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 9–15 mm long limb; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 7–13 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.1 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Aristideae. FZ.

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