Aristida spuria Domin. Biblioth.
Bot. 85: 341 (1915).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily
Aristidoideae. Aristideae.
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: NT: S. T. Blake 8349, 30 Mar 1935,
Australia: Queensland: North Kennedy Dist.: Castle Hill, Townsville (BRI; INT:
AD, B, BO, CANB, CBG, DNA, EA, K, L, LAE, MBA, MEL, MO, NOU, NSW, NT, PERTH,
PRE, QRS, SP, SRGH, US). NT designated by Simon, Austr. Syst. Bot. 5:
150 (1992).
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 (132).
Illustrations:
[1983] J.C.Tothill & J.B.Hacker, Grasses of Southern Queensland
(104(3)), [2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of
New South Wales, 4th edn (132).
Derivation: L. spurious.
The lateral awns of the lemma are insignificant or absent, the spikelets then
resembling those of Stipa..
Habit.
Perennial. Culms decumbent, 20–91 cm tall. Mid-culm internodes glabrous.
Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches fastigiate. Leaf-sheaths smooth or
scaberulous, glabrous on surface or hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5 mm
long. Leaf-blades curled or flexuous, filiform, conduplicate or involute or convolute,
8–12 cm long, 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth or scaberulous.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle linear, 11–29 cm long, 0.9–1 cm
wide.
Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret(s),
without rachilla extension, lanceolate, terete, 7–13 mm long.
Glumes.
Glumes similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, membranous,
keeled, 1-keeled, 3–5 -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous or indumented.
Lower glume apex awned. Upper glume lanceolate, 6.5–13 mm long, membranous,
keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous or indumented. Upper
glume apex dentate, awned.
Florets.
Fertile lemma 7–12.5 mm long, without keel, 3 -nerved. Lemma apex awned, 1–3
-awned. Median (principal) awn 10–29 mm long overall, with a twisted column.
Column 4–9 mm long. Lateral lemma awns absent or present. Palea without keels.
Anthers 3. Grain 4.8–8 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Queensland, New South Wales.
Queensland:
Burke, Burnett, Cook, Leichhardt, Moreton, North Kennedy, Port Curtis, South
Kennedy, Wide Bay. New South Wales: North-Western Slopes.
Notes.
As the type could not be located a neotype has been selected from a specimen
from the type locality. It has many duplicates, recently widely distributed
from material in the S.T.Blake archives in BRI, matches the type description
and was cited by Blake (1944) and Lazarides (1980). A. spuria differs
from A. utilis by the glabrous culm internodes and the setaceous leaf
blades.
Recorded from isolated
areas of coastal and sub-coastal Queensland, with one record from New South
Wales. Eucalyptus woodlands, sometimes in elevated areas and off-shore
islands. Sandy and loamy soils. Flowering and fruiting January to June.
