Compilation
Aristida diffusa

20 Images see all

Previous
Next

Name

Identification
Aristida diffusa Trin. [family POACEAE ]
Related name
  • Aristida diffusa

Flora

Entry for ARISTIDA vestita Thunb. [family POACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora Capensis
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora Capensis, Vol 7, page 310, (1900) Author: (By O. STAPF.)
Names
ARISTIDA vestita Thunb. [family POACEAE], Prod. Cap. 19;—Thunb. Fl. Cap. ed. Schult. 104; Nees in Linnæa, vii. 287; Kunth, Enum. i. 197; Trin. & Rupr. Stip. 157; Steud. Syn. Pl. Glum. i. 142; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 810.
ARISTIDA Hystrix Thunb. [family POACEAE], Prodr. 19; Fl. Cap. ed. i. 394; ed Schult. 104, not Linn.
ARISTIDA diffusa Trin. [family POACEAE], Gram. Gen. 86.
ARISTIDA lanuginosa Burch. [family POACEAE], Trav. ii. 226.
Chætaria vestita Beauv. [family ], Agrost. 30.
Arthratherum Hystrix Nees [family POACEAE], in Linnæa, vii. 287.
Arthratherum lanuginosum Burch. [family POACEAE], l.c. 612 (index).
Arthratherum vestitum Nees [family POACEAE], Fl. Afr. Austr. 174.
Information
perennial, light green to glaucous; rhizome very short, with dense tufts of barren shoots and culms, the latter erect, 1–2 ft. high, simple, 2–1-noded, terete, wiry, glabrous, smooth; sheaths tight, smooth, scarcely striate, glabrous or the lower more or less covered with a very fugacious wool; ligule a line of very short hairs; blades convolute-setaceous from a few inches to more than 1 ft. by scarcely 1 lin. when expanded, rigid, curved or flexuous, glabrous, smooth below, scabrid to hispidulous above; panicle effuse or contracted, 3–6 in. by 2–5 in.; rhachis strict or flexuous; lower branches 2–3-nate, 1 1/2–3 in. long, usually spreading, sparingly and remotely branched; branchlets very flexuous, filiform to capillary, scaberulous; pedicels very fine, the longest equalling the spikelets; spikelets often secund, nodding, yellowish, rarely purplish, 5–6 lin. long; glumes rather firm, rounded at the back, obtuse or more or less 2-toothed, the lower linear-oblong, about 1/2 the length of the upper or less, this narrow lanceolate-linear, 5–6 lin. long; valve linear, 4 1/2–5 1/2 lin. long, not beaked, scaberulous from the middle or almost smooth; callus 1/2 lin. long; awn disarticulating from the valve, stipitate, foot 1–2 1/2 lin. long, twisted, bristles divaricate or the lateral upright, 2/3–1 in. long; pale broad, 1/2 lin. long; lodicules 2/3– 3/4 lin. long, finely nerved; anthers 2 1/2 lin. long; grain very slender, 3 lin. long. null
Range
Also in Hereroland.
Distribution
CENTRAL REGION Prince Albert Div.; near Zwartbulletje, by the Gamka River, 2500 ft., Drège! near Klaarstroom, 2500–3000 ft., Drège. Aberdeen Div.; Camdebo, 2500–3000 ft., Drège. Somerset Div.; Little Fish River, 2000–2700 ft., Drège. Blyde River, Burchell, 2978! Graaff Reinet Div.; hill-sides near Graaff Reinet, 2500–2700 ft., Bolus, 459! Colesberg Div.; Colesberg, Shaw, 22! Albert Div.; near Gaatje in the Klein Buffel Valei, 4500–5000 ft., Drège. Burghersdorp, Cooper, 3372!COAST REGION Cape Div.; Table Mountain, Ecklon, 976! Swellendam Div.; between Breede River and Zonder Einde River, Burchell, 7491! Uitenhage Div.; near the Zwartkops River, 50–500 ft., Zeyher, 4504! Ecklon; between Sunday River and Koega River, Drège. Alexandria Div.; in virgin forests by the Bushmans River, Olifantshoek Mountains, Ecklon, Addo, Ecklon. Cathcart Div.; Windvogel Berg, 3000–4000 ft., Drège. Queenstown Div.; Engotini, near Shiloh, 3500 ft., Baur, 964! between the Klipplats River and the Zwart Kei River, Drège, Finchams Nek, near Queenstown, 4000 ft., Galpin, 2383! Var. γ: Cape Div.; Capetown, Harvey, 158! Port Elizabeth Div.; near Port Elizabeth, E.S.C.A. Herb. 121!KALAHARI REGION Griqualand West, Hay Div.; Griqua Town, Burchell, 1842! 1917! Asbestos Mountains, at the Kloof Village, Burchell, 2038! Basutoland; Leribe, Buchanan, 124! Transvaal; near Lydenburg, Atherstone! Potgeiters Rust, near the Nylstroom, Nelson, 55*! Bosh Veld, between Elands River and Klippan, Rehmann, 5124! Apies River, Nelson, 5*!SOUTH AFRICA without precise locality, Thunberg! Boivin! Zeyher, 1811! 1808! 447! Var. γ: Zeyher, 4405!WESTERN REGION Var. β: Little Namaqualand; Silver Fontein, near Ookiep, 2000–3000 ft., Drège!
Notes
Trinius and Ruprecht, l.c., distinguished 7 varieties (diffusa, densa, eckloniana, schraderiana, parviflora, brevistipitata and pseudo-hystrix); of these, only the 2 above described appear to me fairly well characterized. Thunberg, in describing his A. Hystrix as having 2 equal glumes, was misled by the frequent splitting of the lower glume into 2 equal halves, whilst the upper glume is in most of the spikelets of his specimens so tightly rolled round the floret that it appears as the lower part of it.

Related Materials