Aristida stricta

Michx.
Common names: Wiregrass Pineland threeawn
Endemic
Synonyms: Aristida beyrichiana
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 335.

Plants perennial; cespitose, occasionally with rhizomes. Culms 60-120 cm, stiffly erect, unbranched. Leaves basal or nearly basal; sheaths shorter than the internodes, smooth and mostly glabrous abaxially, sometimes with a line of widely spaced, 0.5-1 mm hairs over the midvein, not disintegrating into threadlike fibers at maturity; collars glabrous, sometimes with a few conspicuous hairs at the sides; ligules 0.1-0.3 mm; blades 15-50 cm long, 0.3-1 mm wide, tightly involute, stiff, yellow-green, abaxial surfaces villous on both sides of the midvein, at least on the basal portion, hairs 0.6-1.5 mm, adaxial surfaces densely scabrous or densely short-pubescent. Inflorescences paniculate, 20-35 cm, 5-8 mm wide; nodes glabrous; primary branches 2-5 cm, appressed, without axillary pulvini, with 4-12 spikelets, spikelet-bearing to the base. Spikelets appressed. Glumes subequal, glabrous, light-brown or tan, usually 1 (2) -veined, bifid and awned, awns 1.5-2.5 mm; lower glumes 7-10 mm; upper glumes 6-9 mm; calluses 0.4-0.6 mm; lemmas 6-9 mm, glabrous, light-colored when young, reddish when mature, column 1-2 mm, not twisted, junction with the awns inconspicuous; awns (7) 10-15 (22) mm, subequal, usually horizontally spreading or curving downward, not disarticulating at maturity; anthers 3, about 3 mm, reddish-brown. Caryopses 4-5 mm, chestnut-brown. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Aristida stricta grows in pine barrens and sandy fields of the coastal plain from Louisiana to North Carolina. Peet (1993) segregated northern populations of A. stricta as a separate species, A. beyrichiana Trin. & Rupr., based on pubescence patterns of the sheath and blades. Investigations into alloyzyme diversity (Walters et al. 1994), anatomy, morphology, and phenotypic expression (garden transplants) led Kesler (2000) to conclude that such a segregation was not justified; pubescence patterns particularly were inconclusive. Consequently, A. beyrichiana is treated here as part of A. stricta.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Aristida stricta"
short-pubescent +  and scabrous +
reddish-brown +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (?) +
Kelly W. Allred +
Michx. +
not disarticulating +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (?) +
straight +
downward +, curving +  and spreading +
inconspicuous +
subequal +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
coiled +, disarticulating +  and twisted +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
straight +
yellow-green +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br />) +
usually linear +  and lanceolate occasionally ovate +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
spikelike +
well-developed +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
chestnut-brown +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
non-radiate +  and radiate +
Wiregrass +  and Pineland threeawn +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br />) +
not woody +
S.C. +  and N.C. +
large +  and small +
thread-like +
capillary +
germination +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
compressed +  and terete +
awned +  and bifid +
tan +  and light-brown +
subtending +
acute +  and acuminate +
subequal +
not disintegrating +
conspicuous +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
reddish +  and light-colored +
scabridulous +
fusiform +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
indistinguishable +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
concealing +
0 +  and 1/2 +
dry +  and fleshy +
divaricate +  and divergent +
ascending;usually appressed;ascending +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
not prolonged +
1 (?) +  and Anatomy (?) +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
4 +  and 12 +
1 +  and 3 +
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Aristida beyrichiana +
Aristida stricta +
Aristida +
species +
membranous +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +