Common name: Threeawn Speargrass
Aristida vagans Cav. APNI*
Description: Erect tufted or rhizomatous perennial to 0.8 m high; culms simple or sometimes strongly branched.
Leaves with sheath glabrous, somewhat striate; ligule usually < 0.5 mm long; blade convolute to conduplicate or flat, attenuate, 1.5–3 mm wide, long-scabrous and sometimes pilose on upper surface.
Panicle loose or open, 6–16 cm long, branches few, distant to remote. Glumes very narrow-ovate, acuminate, subequal or upper longer, lower usually acute, upper usually obtuse. Lemma linear to elliptic, 7–12 mm long, beaked; awns filiform, flattened in the lower part, divergent or divaricate, straight or the median recurved, to 15 mm long.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in dry sclerophyll forest.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, NWS, CWS, NWP
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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