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 kelleri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 15–30 cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 4–20 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; oblong; 3–4 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 9–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5–1 mm long; pilose; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–7 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex lobed; 2 -fid; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 9–12 mm long; 3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3–4 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 3–3.5 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 30–60 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Column of lemma awn 7–20 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 15–30 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.1 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical.

NOTES Aristideae. FTEA.

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