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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 victoriana
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 6–20 cm long. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 1.5 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.3 mm long. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; convolute; 1–7 cm long; 0.5–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, or scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle contracted; linear; interrupted; 3–8 cm long; 0.4–0.7 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches naked below, or bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; angular; scaberulous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 8–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5–0.6 mm long; pilose; obtuse.
GLUMES Glumes similar; with lower wider than upper; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5.5–8.5 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Lower glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–9.5 mm long; 0.9–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1–1.3 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma linear; subterete; 6.5–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 3.5–7.5 mm long limb; with a straight or slightly twisted column. Column of lemma awn 1.5–2.8 mm long. Lateral lemma awns ascending; 2–5 mm long; shorter than principal; lemm awns 0.66 length of principal. Palea 1.5–1.7 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; 1–1.3 mm long. Anthers 3.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; without sulcus; 3.5–5.5 mm long; dark brown. Embryo 0.2–0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.
NOTES Aristideae. Sulicik 2005.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
