Aristida lazaridis

Aristida lazaridis B.K.Simon. Austrobaileya
 2: 92 (1984).

Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Aristidoideae. Aristideae.

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: Australia:
Queensland: Gregory North District: 20 miles
(32 km) NNW of Duchess, 17 Aug. 1954, M. Lazarides 4807 (HT: BRI-178996;
IT: AD, CANB, MEL, NSW, NT,
PERTH).

Key references
(books and floras):
[2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia
,
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales
.

Illustrations:
[2005] K.Mallet (ed.), Flora of Australia 44B: Poaceae 3
(Fig. 17E-F).

Derivation: in
honor of Mike Lazarides (1928-) Australian botanist.

Habit.
Perennial. Culms 40–140 cm tall, 3–5 -noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous.
Lateral branches sparsely branched or branched. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on
surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.3 mm long. Leaf-blades curled, flat or
conduplicate or involute or convolute, 10–20 cm long, 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade
surface scaberulous.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle elliptic, effuse, 10–45 cm long,
5–20 cm wide.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile
floret(s), without rachilla extension, lanceolate, terete, 9–19 mm long.

Glumes.
Glumes similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, membranous,
keeled, 1-keeled, 1(–3) -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex
muticous. Upper glume lanceolate, 8–19 mm long, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1
-nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex entire, mucronate.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 7–12 mm long, without keel, 3 -nerved. Lemma apex awned, 3
-awned. Median (principal) awn without a column. Lateral lemma awns present.
Palea without keels. Anthers 3. Grain 5–8.5 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.

Western
Australia
: Gardner.
Fortescue. Northern Territory:
Darwin & Gulf. Queensland:
Burke, Burnett, Gregory North, Leichhardt, Mitchell, North Kennedy, Port
Curtis, South Kennedy.

Notes.
A. lazaridis differs from all other species by the involute lemma from
the furrow of which one margin usually protrudes rather noticeably. It is
superficially similar to A. leptopoda in its open panicle but that
species has convolute lemmas. A. lazaridis also differs from A.
leptopoda
in the type of soil it grows on (q.v.).

Mainly
from the North-Eastern phytogeographic zone of Barlow with a few records from
adjacent zones. Eucalyptus communities on red earths, sandy soils and
loams although it has been recorded from clay soils. Flowering and fruiting
February to August.

AVH 2011

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith