Aristida adscensionis L.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 500 - 2500 m.; Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba

Conservation

No Evaluada

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 500 - 2500 m.

Morphology General Habit

Herb.

Distribution

Native from Colombia.

Conservation

Not Evaluated.

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit

Annual, up to about 1 m. high

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades often becoming involute

Ecology

Common on dry, shallow or over-farmed soils.

Gramineae, E. Launert. Flora Zambesiaca 10:1. 1971

Morphology General Habit

Annual, 10-100 cm. high, caespitose.

Morphology Culms

Culms erect, somewhat geniculately ascending, often branched from the base and lower nodes, glabrous, smooth, often purplish; nodes glabrous, smooth.

Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths

Leaf-sheaths tightly or laxly embracing the culm, more or less keeled, striate, smooth or scaberulous.

Morphology Leaves Ligules

Ligule a short-ciliate rim; auricles smooth or minutely pubescent; collar glabrous.

Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina

Leaf-laminae up to 15 x 0·1-0·25 cm., linear, usually flat, scabrid above, usually glabrous beneath, with margins conspicuously thickened.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle up to 25 x 0·1-0·25 cm., exserted, erect, narrow and dense, interrupted at the base, or lax, many-flowered with a scabrous axis and appressed, erect or somewhat spreading, scabrous or scaberulous branches.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets greenish or green tinged with purple.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes unequal, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, more or less keeled; the inferior 4-7 mm. long, 1-nerved, minutely scaberulous or glabrous, emarginate at the apex with obtuse lobes and with an exserted mucro from the sinus, or acute, scabrous or scaberulous on the keel; the superior up to 6-8·5 mm. long, erose, 2-fid at the apex, with a mucro or short awn from the sinus, becoming scabrous on the keel towards the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma

Lemma (5·5)8-10(14) mm., usually exceeding, sometimes as long as, the glumes, tubular or slightly compressed, not narrowed upwards, pallid, usually with purple spots or tinged with purple, finely punctulate and scabrous on the keel, rarely scabrous on lateral sides towards the apex; column absent; awns unequal or subequal, more or less winged towards the base, very scabrous, the central awn being up to 20 mm. long, lateral ones 8-15 mm. long; callus 0·5-0·7 mm. long, obtuse, densely shortly barbate; articulation absent.

Cytology

2n = 22.

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit

Annual, forming erect or sprawling tufts 10–100 cm. high.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades linear, up to 20 cm. long and 3 mm. wide, expanded or folded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle up to 30 cm. long, occasionally lax, usually ± contracted about the main branches, sometimes narrow and dense.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets pallid, green or tinged with purple; glumes unequal, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, scaberulous on the keel, emarginate and mucronate or acute but never awned, the upper 5–10 mm. long, the lower 1–3 mm. shorter; lemma 5–13 mm. long, sometimes no longer than the glumes but usually exceeding the upper by 1–2 mm. or more, laterally compressed, convolute, scabrid on the keel or sometimes generally scaberulous on the upper part, passing into the awns without constriction or articulation; callus narrowly oblong, 0.5 mm. long, obtuse; central awn 7–25 mm. long, the laterals subequal or occasionally conspicuously shorter.

Habitat

A cosmopolitan pioneer of dry soils and waste places; 0–2000 m.

Distribution

throughout the tropics K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial up to 75 cm high (usually much less)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle usually contracted about the primary branches, these either spreading or appressed to the main axis (but the panicle never spike-like)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes unequal, linear-lanceolate, the lower 4–8.5 mm long, acute, the upper 7–11.5 mm long, obtuse or emarginate to apiculate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma

Lemma, including the callus, (5–)11.5–17 mm long, laterally compressed, scabrid on the keel and sometimes also on the flanks, passing into the awns without either column or articulation; awns terete, the central (0.7–)1.5–2.5 cm long, the laterals similar or a little shorter.

Distribution

N1–3; C1, 2; S1–3 throughout the tropics.

Ecology

Altitude range 0–1650 m.

Vernacular

Bille, birreh, ebateetee, harfo, madweed, tinleh (Somali)

Note

An extremely variable species ranging from annual to short-lived perennial; perennial plants were at one time separated as A. caerulescens, but it is now apparent that the distinction is induced by the environment and is not therefore of any taxonomic value.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 500–2500 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Boyacá, Cesar, Cundinamarca, La Guajira, Magdalena, Nariño, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Herb.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.

Morphology General Habit

Annual, or perennial. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10-100 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5-20 cm long; 1-3 mm wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open, or contracted; elliptic; 10-30 cm long; evenly furnished, or contracted about primary branches. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 6-12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5 mm long; pilose; obtuse.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 6-12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5 mm long; pilose; obtuse.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4-7 mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex emarginate, or acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 5-10 mm long; 0.75-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Fertile lemma elliptic; laterally compressed; 5-13 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn with 7-25 mm long limb; persistent. Lateral lemma awns 5-25 mm long; subequal to principal, or shorter than principal. Palea 0.2 length of lemma; without keels.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Anthers 3.

Distribution

Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and Mongolia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Pacific: south-central and north-central. North America: northwest USA, north-central USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

Reference

Aristideae. FTEA.

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Diagnostic

Distinguished from A. adscensionis by its perennial habit.

Morphology General 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.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

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.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences 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.

Fertile

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.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

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.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers 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.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Anthers 3.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear.

Distribution

Africa: south.

Reference

Aristideae. De Winter 1993.

Use Animal Food

Used as animal food.

Use Environmental

Environmental uses.

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Materials

Used as material.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.

Use Social

Social uses.