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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 perniciosa
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms erect; 40–137 cm long; 1–2 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface, or pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 0.5–2 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.3 mm long. Leaf-blades curled, or flexuous; conduplicate, or involute; 10–20 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle contracted, or spiciform; linear; 15–39 cm long; 1–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 2 -nate; bearing spikelets almost to the base.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 11–18.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.8–1.1 mm long; pubescent; acute.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 11–16 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 8 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 11–18.3 mm long; 1.3–1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 8 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 7–14 mm long; coriaceous; pallid and light brown; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea; without distinctive roughness. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 16–34 mm long limb; with twisted column; persistent. Column of lemma awn 5–10 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 13–30 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.9–1.3 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; 5.4–7.6 mm long. Hilum linear; 0.4 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.
NOTES Aristideae. Simon 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
