Common name: White Speargrass
Aristida leptopoda Benth. APNI* 
Description: Densely tussocky perennial to 0.7 m high; culms erect or ascending, terete or compressed in the lower part, smooth, slightly striate.
Leaves with sheath firmly papery, striate, scaberulous; ligule 0.5–1 mm long; blade convolute or conduplicate, c. 2 mm wide, ending in a very long point, smooth or scabrous.
Panicle becoming very loose and open at maturity, 14–30 cm long, branches divaricate to drooping. Glumes lanceolate, very long acuminate, subequal to equal, mostly smooth. Lemma linear to elliptic, 9–16 mm long, pallid or purple; awns filiform, stiff, divergent, to 38 mm long.
Flowering: summer or in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows often in grassland or woodland on heavy soils.
NSW subdivisions: CC, NT, NWS, CWS, NWP, NFWP
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & S. M. Hastings
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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