Aristida adscensionis L.

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Photo: Petra Ballings
Maleme Dam Rest Camp, Matobo National Park

Photo: Petra Ballings
Shashe Wilderness Camp, Tuli

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Synonyms:	Aristida curvata (Mez) Jacq.-Fél. Aristida guineensis Trin. & Rupr. Aristida submucronata Schumach. Aristida thonningii Trin. & Rupr. Aristida vulgaris Trin. & Rupr. Chaetaria curvata Nees
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Description:	Tufted annual grass, up to 1 m high. Culms erect or ascending at a sharp angle, often branched from the base and lower nodes, hairless, smooth, often purplish. Leaves linear, up to 15 cm long, usually flat, scabrid above, usually hairless beneath; margins thickened. Ligule a short-ciliate rim. Panicle erect, narrow and dense, up to 25 cm long, interrupted at the base, sometimes more lax, many-flowered, with erect or somewhat spreading branches. Spikelets greenish or green-tinged with purple. Glumes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, more or less keeled; inferior glume 4-7 mm long, single-veined, often emarginate-mucronate at the apex; superior up to 6-8·5 mm long, 2-fid at the apex, with a mucro or short awn. Lemma usually exceeding, sometimes as long as, the glumes, tubular or slightly compressed, pallid, usually with purple spots or tinged with purple. Awns unequal or subequal, more or less winged towards the base; central awn up to 20 mm long, lateral awns 8-15 mm long.
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Worldwide distribution:	Throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
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Literature:	Chapano, C. (2002). A checklist of Zimbabwean grasses Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 16. Pretoria. Page 4. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 6. Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 4. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 130. Fish, L., Mashau, A.C., Moeaha, M.J. & Nembudani, M.T. (2015). Identification Guide to Southern African Grasses Strelitzia 36 South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 87. Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 502. (Includes a picture). Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 3. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 29. Klaassen Esmerialda, E.S. & Craven P. (2003). Checklist of grasses in Namibia SABONET Report No. 20 Page 10. Launert, E. (1971). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(1) Pages 110 - 111. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 99. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 126. Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 36 - 37. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 130. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 187. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 85.

Other sources of information about Aristida adscensionis:

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Flora of Botswana: Aristida adscensionis
Flora of Caprivi: Aristida adscensionis
Flora of Malawi: Aristida adscensionis
Flora of Mozambique: Aristida adscensionis
Flora of Zambia: Aristida adscensionis
Flora of Zimbabwe: Aristida adscensionis

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Aristida adscensionis
African Plant Database: Aristida adscensionis
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Aristida adscensionis
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Aristida adscensionis
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Aristida adscensionis
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IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Aristida adscensionis
JSTOR Plant Science: Aristida adscensionis
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Aristida adscensionis
Plants of the World Online: Aristida adscensionis
Tropicos: Aristida adscensionis
Wikipedia: Aristida adscensionis