Aristida sieberiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 30–100 cm long; 2–4 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades involute; 5–30 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; glaucous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; 8–25 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 15–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; curved; pubescent; with longer hairs above; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 8–15 mm long; 0.5–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn (1–)2–5 mm long. Upper glume linear; 15–20 mm long; 2 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 (1–)3–9 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong (cylindrical); subterete; (7–)9–12 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous, or scabrous; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 45–85 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Column of lemma awn (12–)18–30 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 30–70 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.1 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: western Asia and Arabia.

NOTES Aristideae. FTEA.

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