Aristida californica

Plants perennial; sometimes flowering the first year. Culms 10-40 cm, highly branched above the base in age; internodes glabrous or pubescent, sometimes nearly lanose. Leaves cauline; sheaths shorter than the internodes, glabrous or puberulent; collars glabrous or pubescent at the sides; ligules 0.5-1 mm; blades usually less than 6 cm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, pale green, involute, glabrous or puberulent abaxially. Inflorescences paniculate or racemose, 5-10 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, with few spikelets; rachis nodes glabrous or with straight hairs; primary branches 1-2 cm, appressed, without axillary pulvini. Spikelets appressed. Glumes unequal, 1-2-veined; lower glumes 4-10 mm; upper glumes 7-15 mm; calluses about 1 mm; lemmas 5-7 mm, purple or mottled, junction of the lemma and awns evident; awns twisted together basally into a 4-26 mm column, free portions 12-50 mm, those of the central and lateral awns similar in length, curved to arcuate basally, straight and divergent distally, disarticulating at the base of the column at maturity; anthers 3, about 2 mm long. 2n = 22.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Calif., Ariz.

Discussion

The range of both varieties of Aristida californica extends from the southwestern United States into northwestern Mexico.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Aristida californica var. californica, Aristida californica var. glabrata

Key

1	Cauline internodes puberulent to nearly lanose	Aristida californica var. californica
1	Cauline internodes glabrous	Aristida californica var. glabrata