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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 spuria

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms decumbent; 20–91 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches fastigiate. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface, or pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate; 1–2 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades curled, or flexuous; filiform; involute; 8–12 cm long; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 11–29 cm long; 0.9–1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 2 -nate; 4–6.5 cm long. Panicle branches scaberulous, or scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 7–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5–1.3 mm long; pubescent; acute. Floret callus hairs 1–1.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5.5–13 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous; glabrous, or pilose. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 6.5–13 mm long; 0.9–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pilose. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 2.5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 7–12.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn geniculate, or 3-branched; with 6–20 mm long limb; with twisted column; persistent. Column of lemma awn 4–9 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 0–4 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.1–1.7 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; 4.8–8 mm long. Hilum linear; 0.3 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Aristideae. Simon 1993.

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