Aristida recta Franch.

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Synonyms:	Aristida atroviolacea Hack. Aristida gossweileri Pilg. Aristida hockii De Wild.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial 10-30 cm. high, densely caespitose. Culms erect, very elegant, slightly compressed, simple, glabrous, smooth, 1-(2) noded; nodes glabrous, smooth. Leaf-sheaths striate, glabrous, the basal somewhat lax, persistent, breaking up into fibres, forming a dense tuft at the base of the culms, the upper somewhat tighter. Ligule a short-ciliolate rim; auricles barbate; collar glabrous. Leaf-laminae up to 20 x 0·1 cm., setaceously involute, scaberulous above, glabrous, smooth beneath, subobtuse or acute. Panicle 8 x 4 cm., ovate-lanceolate in outline, long-exserted, lax but not much branched; axis smooth, more or less angular, scaberulous upwards; branches 2-nate or 3-5-partite, capillary, somewhat flexuous, naked in the lower 1/2, scaberulous, the lower up to 3 cm. long. Spikelets brownish-purple to deep purple, contracted towards the ends of the branches. Glumes subequal to unequal, glabrous or scabrous on the keels; the inferior usually 2·5-5 mm. long, lanceolate-ovate, 3-nerved, often 3-keeled, gradually or abruptly tapering into a short awn c. 1 mm. long; the superior usually 4·5-6 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, mucronate, or with a short awn up to 1 mm. long. Lemma 3·5-5 mm. long, slightly keeled, glabrous, smooth in the lower part, more or less scaberulous towards the apex, prolonged into a short beak up to 0·7 mm. long; callus 0·2-0·3 mm. long, obtuse, short-barbate; awns subequal, scabrid, usually slightly contorted at the base; the central 7-8 mm. long, the lateral ones 5-6 mm. long; articulation absent.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	Usually on damp ground in dambos, sometimes on exposed ridges, also in seepage areas in acid mountain grassland
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Guinea region to the Congo Republic, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,C,E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 341. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 6. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 29. As Aristida atroviolacea Launert, E. (1971). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(1) Pages 104 - 105. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 100. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 145. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 85.

Other sources of information about Aristida recta:

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Flora of Burundi: Aristida recta
Flora of Malawi: Aristida recta
Flora of Mozambique: Aristida recta
Flora of Zambia: Aristida recta

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Aristida recta
African Plant Database: Aristida recta
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Aristida recta
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Aristida recta
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Aristida recta
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Aristida recta
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Aristida recta
JSTOR Plant Science: Aristida recta
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Aristida recta
Plants of the World Online: Aristida recta
Tropicos: Aristida recta
Wikipedia: Aristida recta