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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
from FNA
AL
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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
N. cernua, N. chilensis, N. lepida, N. leucotricha, N. manicata, N. pulchra, N. tenuissima, N. trichotoma, N. viridula
N. cernua, N. chilensis, N. lepida, N. leucotricha, N. manicata, N. neesiana, N. tenuissima, N. trichotoma, N. viridula
Synonyms Stipa neesiana Stipa pulchra
Name authority (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth (Hitchc.) Barkworth
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