Aristida effusa
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Full name: | Aristida effusa Henrard |
| Location: | Kyffhäuser (2416AD + 2416CB) |
| ID status: | ID not 100% certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | Pluimsteekgras |
| English common name(s): | Spreading stick grass, Loose bristle grass |
| Synonym(s): | Aristida waibeliana Henrard fide De Winter, Bothalia 8: 251 (1965). |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: | Tufted annual. Culms erect, branched, up to 0.8 m high. Leaf blade flat, hairless, up to 300 x 3 mm. Ligule a fringe of fine hairs. Leaf sheath keeled, hairless. Inflorescence a spreading, loose panicle, up to 300 mm long and 150 mm wide. Spikelets always in small groups at tips of lax lateral branches; column absent; awns 3; central awn up to 16 mm long; lateral awns 2-13 mm long. (from Grasses of Namibia) HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 45–90 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat; 15–30 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 20–30 cm long; 15 cm wide; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches flexuous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 10–11.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; bearded; obtuse. GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–8.5 mm long; 0.66–1.1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough above. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 5.5–8 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex truncate, or obtuse. FLORETS Fertile lemma linear; subterete; 9–11.5 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn with 16 mm long limb; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 13 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea without keels. FLOWER Anthers 3. FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear. (from www.kew.org website) |
| Link(s) |
African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer) iNaturalist (Namibia) iNaturalist (southern Africa) Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia |
| Photographer: | AA Dreyer |
| Date of photograph: | 23 Jun 2010 |
| Camera make: | Canon |
| Camera model: | PowerShot A700 |
| Lens aperture: | f/4.0 |
| Shutter speed: | 1/200 s |
| ISO speed: | - |
| Content last updated: | 18 Apr 2024 |
