Compilation
Aristida cumingiana

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Name

Identification
Isotype of Aristida cumingiana Not on sheet. [family GRAMINEAE ] (stored under name); Verified by Sánchez-Ken, J.,
Related name
  • Aristida delicatula
  • Aristida uniseta
  • Aristida diminuta
  • Aristida cumingiana
  • Chaetaria delicatula
  • Chaetaria trichodes

Flora

Entry for ARISTIDA diminuta (Mez) C. E. Hubbard [family POACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, Part (Part 1), page 1, (1970) Author: W. D. Clayton
Names
ARISTIDA diminuta (Mez) C. E. Hubbard [family POACEAE], in K.B. 4: 480 (1949); Ann. list Nyasaland grasses: 29 (1958); G.T.: 24 (1965). Type: Malawi, without precise locality, Buchanan (K, iso.!)
Stipa diminuta Mez [family POACEAE], in F.R. 17: 208 (1921)
Aristida cumingiana Pilg. var. reducta [family POACEAE], in N.B.G.B. 11: 805 (March 1933). Type: Tanganyika, Ulanga District, Schlieben 2468 (K, iso.!)
Aristida cumingiana Stent & Rattray var. uniseta [family POACEAE], in Proc. Rhod. Sci. Assoc. 32: 48 (May 1933). Type: Rhodesia, Salisbury, Holmes in Eyles 4931 (K, isosyn.!) & Lomagundi, Fitt 165 (K, isosyn.!)
Aristida cumingiana (Mez) Jac.-Fél. var. diminuta [family POACEAE], in Journ. Agric. Trop. 13: 51 (1966)
Information
Slender tufted annual 15–30 cm. high. Leaf-blades narrow, cauline, 2–7 cm. long. Panicle 4–10 cm. long, delicate and loose or somewhat contracted, with capillary branches. Spikelets 2.5–3 mm. long, the glumes tinged with red, glabrous, shortly mucronate; lower glume lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm. long, scabrid on the keel; upper glume narrowly lanceolate, as long as the spikelet; lemma 1.5–1.7 mm. long, scaberulous; callus very short, broadly obtuse; awn unbranched, 7–10 mm. long, without articulation, gracefully recurved.
Range
DISTR. T6, 8
Altitude range
250–1000 m.
Distribution
TANGANYIKA Ulanga District between confluence of R. Kilombero and R. Luwegu, Mkonji, 19 June 1932, Schlieben 2468!TANGANYIKA Songea District near R. Luhira N. of Songea, 29 Apr. 1956, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 9953! & 6.5 km. W. of Songea, 13 June 1956, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 9953a!
Distribution (external)
Mali
Chad
also Malawi
Mozambique
Zambia
Rhodesia
Notes
A. diminuta has the superficial characters of Stipa (p. 114), from which genus it may be distinguished by the ciliolate ligule, 3-nerved lemma, and 2 lodicules.  It closely resembles the 3-awned species A. cumingiana; but the consistently longer glumes and awn suggest that it should be accorded a status higher than that of variety, to which some authorities would relegate it.

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