Nassella neesiana |
Nassella pulchra |
|
---|---|---|
Uruguayan needlegrass, Uruguayan tussockgrass |
purple nassella, purple needlegrass, purple tussockgrass |
|
Habit | Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. | Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 30-140 cm tall, 1-1.8 mm thick, erect or geniculate, internodes glabrous; nodes usually 2-4, exposed, sericeous, hairs to 1.2 mm. |
35-100 cm tall, 1.8-3.1 mm thick, erect or geniculate at the lowest nodes, sometimes scabrous below the panicles, internodes mostly glabrous, lower internodes sometimes pubescent below the nodes; nodes 2-3, pubescent. |
Sheaths | glabrous or slightly hispid, basal leaf sheaths often with cleistogenes; collars glabrous, often brown or purple-tinged, with tufts of hair at the sides, hairs 0.5-1.2 mm; Iigules 1-4 mm, glabrous or pubescent, truncate; blades to 30 cm long, 2-8 mm wide, flat to convolute, sometimes scabrous, sometimes with hairs. |
glabrous or hairy, sometimes mostly glabrous, sometimes the distal margins ciliate, varying within a plant; collars with tufts of hair at the sides, hairs 0.5-0.8 mm; ligules 0.3-1.2 mm, glabrous, truncate to rounded; blades 10-20 cm long, 0.8-3.5 mm wide, flat to convolute, abaxial surfaces glabrous or sparsely pilose. |
Panicles | 18-60 cm, open; branches 3-9 cm, spreading, flexuous, often pilose at the axils, with 2-6 spikelets; pedicels 3-10 mm. |
|
Glumes | subequal, 10-22 mm long, 1.8-2.3 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous, 3-5-veined; florets 6-13 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, terete, widest just below the crown; calluses 2-4.5 mm, sharp, strigose; lemmas often purple, finely rugose-papillose, particularly near the crown, constricted below the crown, midveins pilose proximally, glabrous between the veins at maturity; crowns 0.4-1.6 mm, usually wider than long, sides usually flaring somewhat distally, rims with hairs to 0.5 mm; awns 50-120 mm, clearly twice-geniculate, terminal segment straight; anthers 3-3.5 mm, penicillate. |
subequal, 12-20 mm long, 1.1-2.2 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous; florets 7.5-11.5 mm long, about 1.2 mm thick, terete; calluses 1.8-3.5 mm, sharp, strigose; lemmas papillose, evenly pubescent at maturity, constricted below the crown; crowns 0.6-1.1 mm long, 0.5-0.7 mm wide, straight-sided to slightly flared, rims with 0.8-0.9 mm hairs; awns 38-100 mm long, 0.3-0.45 mm thick at the base, strongly twice-geniculate, terminal segment straight; anthers 3.5-5.5 mm, penicillate. |
Caryopses | 3-5 mm. |
4.5-6 mm. |
Terminal | panicles 5-40 cm, exserted, erect to nodding; branches 2.5-8.5 cm, with 2-5 spikelets; pedicels 1-8 mm, angled, scabrous, pubescent. |
|
2n | = 28. |
= 64. |
Nassella neesiana |
Nassella pulchra |
|
Distribution |
AL |
CA
|
Discussion | Nassella neesiana is native to South America, growing from Ecuador to Argentina, primarily in steppe habitats. It was found on ballast dumps in Mobile, Alabama but has not persisted in the Flora region. It has become established in Australia, where it is considered a noxious weed. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Nassella pulchra grows in oak chaparral and grassland communities of the coast ranges and Sierra foothills of California, extending south into Mexico. It probably never formed extensive grasslands (Hamilton 1997), flourishing primarily in moderately disturbed areas. It resembles N. manicata, but has longer florets and less strongly developed crowns. Nassella pulchra and N. cernua sometimes hybridize. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 172. | FNA vol. 24, p. 174. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Stipeae > Nassella | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Stipeae > Nassella |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Stipa neesiana | Stipa pulchra |
Name authority | (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth | (Hitchc.) Barkworth |
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