| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Aristida | > | hordeacea |
| Synonyms: |
Aristida hordeacea var. longiaristata Henrard Aristida pseudohordeacea Stent & J.M. Rattray Aristida steudeliana Trin. & Rupr. |
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| Description: |
Annual, 10-90 cm. high, caespitose. Culms erect or ascending, branched from the base and lower nodes, compressed, densely pubescent, sometimes becoming more or less glabrous, 3-4-noded; nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths keeled, pubescent. Ligule shortly ciliate; auricles shortly barbate; collar glabrous. Leaf-laminae c. 30 x 1 cm., more or less glaucous, flat or folded, scabrous on both surfaces or hirtellous above, becoming glabrous beneath. Panicle 25 x 1-3 cm., exserted, very dense, linear-oblong or subovate, spiciform or interrupted at the base, with a densely pubescent axis; branches solitary but much divided from the base. Spikelets linear-lanceolate, greenish or pallid, fascicled; pedicels pubescent. Glumes lanceolate, keeled, shortly and densely pubescent, awned or 2-fid at the apex with an awn from the sinus; the inferior 5-9 mm. long, with an awn 2·5-5 mm. long; the superior 6-10 mm. long, with an awn 1-4 mm. long. Lemma 5-7·5 mm. long, narrowly linear, fusiform, with many longitudinal rows of spiny hairs, ventrally furrowed, with a distinct articulation between the apex of the lemma and the base of the awns; column absent; callus c. 0·5 mm. long, obtuse, densely barbate; awns 15-50 mm. long, subequal, erect, scabrous. 2n = 22. |
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| Worldwide distribution: | Angola, Kenya, south-western Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, throughout tropical Africa |
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| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 503. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 29. As Aristida hordacea Launert, E. (1971). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(1) Pages 116 - 118. (Includes a picture). 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 100. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 131. |
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