Aristida adscensionis
sixweeks three-awn, three awn
(3)10-50(80) cm, often highly branched above the base.
cauline, glabrous;
sheaths shorter than the internodes, not disintegrating into threadlike fibers;
ligules 0.4-1 mm;
blades 2-14 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, flat to involute.
panicles, 5-15(20) cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, often interrupted below;
nodes glabrous or with straight, less than 0.5 mm hairs;
primary branches 1-4 cm, erect to ascending, without axillary pulvini, with 3-8 spikelets.
crowded.
unequal, 1-veined, acuminate;
lower glumes 4-8 mm;
upper glumes 6-11 mm;
calluses 0.5-0.8 mm;
lemmas 6-9 mm, slightly keeled, midveins scabrous, junction with the awns not evident;
awns not disarticulating at maturity, flattened and straight to somewhat curved at the base, central rib flanked by equally wide pale wings;
central awns 7-15(20) mm;
lateral awns somewhat shorter, occasionally only 1-2 mm;
anthers 3, 0.3-0.7 mm.
= 22.
Aristida adscensionis
Aristida adscensionis grows in waste ground, along roadsides, and on degraded rangelands and dry hillsides, often in sandy soils. It is associated with woodland, prairie, and desert shrub communities. Its range extends from the United States south through Mexico and Central America to South America.
Because Aristida adscensionis is highly variable in height, panicle size, and awn development, several varieties have been described. None are recognized here because most of the variation appears to be environmentally induced.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
KS Wildflowers
MD Biodiversity
MO Plants
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
