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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Aristida barbicollis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20–90 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled; conduplicate, or involute; 3–20 cm long; 1–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 7–20 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 7–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 1–1.5 mm long; pubescent; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–7 mm long; 0.4–0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 0.8–2 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–11 mm long; 1.8–2.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 4–5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 12–28 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of column. Column of lemma awn 2–4 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 12–28 mm long; subequal to principal. Palea 0.1 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.

NOTES Aristideae. FTEA.

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