Aristida ramosa x vagans
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Aristidoideae. Aristideae.
Key references
(books and floras): [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia.
Habit.
Perennial. Culms 37–103 cm tall. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Lateral branches
branched. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blades flat or
conduplicate or involute or convolute, 12 cm long, 2 mm wide.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle 8–27 cm long, 1.5–6 cm wide.
Spikelets.
Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret(s), without rachilla
extension.
Glumes.
Lower glume lanceolate, 1(–3) -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous. Upper
glume lanceolate, 5.2–10.7 mm long, 1 -nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous.
Upper glume apex entire or erose, mucronate.
Florets.
Fertile lemma 6–14.1 mm long. Lemma apex awned, 3 -awned. Median (principal)
awn 8–20 mm long overall, without a column. Lateral lemma awns present. Grain
5–8.7 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: New South Wales.
Notes.
This is the only formally recognised hybrid in Australian Aristida
species. It occurs over a fairly wide region of New South Wales where both
postulated parents also are found. It shares with A. vagans the
character of the lemma projecting for some distance beyond the glumes and with A.
ramosa the general size of the spikelets. I recognised two other hybrids
previously (A. ramosa xA. jerichoensis and A. ramosa x A.
echinata) (Simon 1984) but they were shown not to maintain the
morphological boundaries applied to them on more critical examination.
New
South Wales.
Flowering and fruiting January to April, June,
September to December.
