Aristida brainii Melderis

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Synonyms: Aristida serrulata sensu Stent & J.M. Rattray
Common names:
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Annual, up to 50 cm. high, delicate. Culms erect, ascending, usually branched from the lower nodes, glabrous, smooth, 3-4-noded; nodes glabrous and smooth. Leaf-sheaths rather lax, keeled; the lower ones with some scattered long, delicate hairs; the upper ones glabrous and smooth. Ligule densely short-ciliolate; auricles ciliolate, often with a few long hairs; collar glabrous. Leaf-laminae up to 16 x 0·17 cm., densely ribbed, with marginal nerves and midrib more prominent, shortly pubescent on the nerves above, glabrous and smooth beneath. Panicle up to 20 cm. long, effuse; axis terete and glabrous, smooth in the lower part, subangular, scabrid in the upper; branches 1-2 at the nodes, subangular, slightly scabrid, divaricate, naked in the lower part, bearing 1-3 spikelets, with dark, shortly pubescent glandular patches in the axils. Spikelets delicate, greenish or purplish-brown, the lateral ones divaricate, on short pedicels (up to 1·5 mm. long). Glumes broad, unequal, 2-fid at the apex, 1-nerved, keeled; the inferior 6-7·5 mm. long, scabrid on the keel, otherwise glabrous and smooth, rarely slightly minutely pubescent towards the apex, with obtuse lobes at the apex with a very short awn (up to 0·8 mm. long) from a shallow sinus, exceeding the lobes; the superior 8·5-10 mm. long, nearly smooth on the keel, with acute lobes at the apex and with a very short awn (up to 0·5 mm. long) from a deep sinus, usually not exceeding the lobes. Lemma c. 8 mm. long, keeled, glabrous and smooth, sometimes mottled with purple, deeply grooved ventrally, with enrolled margins; callus c. 1 mm. long, subobtuse, densely pubescent; column absent; awns subequal, 1-1·5 cm. long, slightly dilated towards the base, scabrid; articulation absent.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat: Ecological details not available
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Zimbabwe. Not known from elsewhere
Zimbabwe distribution: W
Growth form(s):
Endemic status: Endemic
Red data list status: Data deficient
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Literature:

Golding, J.S. (ed.) (2002). Zimbabwe Plant Red Data List. Southern African Plant Red Data Lists. SABONET 14 Page 181.

Launert, E. (1971). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(1) Pages 111 - 112.

Mapaura, A. (2002). Endemic Plant Species of Zimbabwe. Kirkia 18(1) Page 130.

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.


Other sources of information about Aristida brainii:

External websites:

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


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Aristida brainii.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=104120, retrieved 19 March 2024

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