Aristida capillifolia Henrard. Meded.
Rijks Herb. 58A: 298, t.154 (1932), op.cit. 54C: 710(1933).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Aristidoideae. Aristideae.
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: LT: R. Helms 70, 18 Jun 1891, Australia:
South Australia: Victoria dessert near Tarcoola, Gairdner-Torrens (L (photo,
BRI); ILT: AD, BRI, K, NSW, MEL). LT designated by Simon, Austral. Syst. Bot.
5: 220 (1992).
Key references
(books and floras): [1981] M.Lazarides in J.Jessop (ed)., Flora of
Central Australia (451), [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass,
Grasses of Australia, [2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses
of South Australia (321).
Illustrations:
[2005] K.Mallet (ed.), Flora of Australia 44B: Poaceae 3 (Fig.
18E-F), [2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses of South
Australia (322, fig. 253).
Derivation: L. capillis,
hair; folium, leaf. Leaf-blades hair-like.
Habit.
Perennial. Culms 20–80 cm tall, 2 mm diam., 3 -noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous.
Lateral branches branched. Leaf-sheaths smooth or scaberulous. Ligule a fringe
of hairs, 0.3–0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades straight, filiform, conduplicate or
involute or convolute, 3–10 cm long, 0.5–1.1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface
scabrous.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle linear, 6–25 cm long, 0.5–2 cm wide.
Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile
floret(s), without rachilla extension, lanceolate, terete, 3.5–8.5 mm long.
Glumes.
Glumes similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, membranous,
keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous. Upper glume
lanceolate, 5.3–8.5 mm long, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Upper
glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex entire or erose, muticous or
mucronate.
Florets.
Fertile lemma 5.4–7.4 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 4–5.8 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia.
Western Australia:
Gardner, Fitzgerald. Giles. Northern Territory: Central Australia North,
Central Australia South. South Australia: North-western, Lake Eyre.
Notes.
A. capillifolia differs from A. strigosa in having shorter lemmas
and filiform leaf blades. Both species have distinctly scabrous lemmas, in this
way differing from A. nitidula, A. arida and A. platychaeta
with tuberculate-spiny lemmas.
Ranges
of Central Australia, covering Western Australia, Northern Territory and South
Australia. Rocky hills, sometimes with Triodia irritans. Flowering and
fruiting all year but mainly June to September and December.
