Austrostipa ramosissima

(Trin.) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett
Common names: Pillar-of-smoke Australian plumegrass Stout bamboograss
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 185.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants perennial; to 2.5 m, bamboolike; cespitose, shortly rhizomatous. Culms 0.5-7 mm thick, erect, glabrous, with (3) 6-9 nodes, highly branched at the nodes. Leaves mostly cauline, rarely basal; sheaths becoming loose, glabrous; ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, membranous, erose; blades 35-40 (80) cm long, 1-10 mm wide, linear, scabrous, readily deciduous, margins scabrous. Panicles 8-20 (50) cm, exserted, diffuse; branches numerous, clustering at the nodes, scabrous, glabrous, or with hairs to 0.3 mm; pedicels glabrous, scabrous, or with hairs to 0.3 mm. Spikelets 2.3-5 mm. Glumes subequal, 2.5-3 mm, erose, inflated, scabridulous, 3-veined, apices blunt or acute; florets 1.8-2.5 mm, broadly cylindrical; calluses hairy, hairs white; lemmas 1.5-2.5 mm, tuberculate, glabrous or with a tuft of silky hair; awns (14) 17-30 mm, strongly once-geniculate, scabrous; paleas about 1/3 the length of the lemmas, scabrous, acute, margins glabrous; anthers 1-1.3 mm, penicillate. Caryopses (1.2) 1.5-1.6 mm. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Austrostipa ramosissima is native to eastern Australia. It is cultivated in the United States and southern British Columbia. In its native range A. ramosissima is drought tolerant, but prefers moist soils and well-drained gullies near forest or woodland margins.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number."prolonged" is not a number.

... more about "Austrostipa ramosissima"
membranous +  and scarious +
penicillate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br />) +
pilose +  and glabrous +
acute +  and blunt +
Surrey W.L. Jacobs +
(Trin.) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett +
twisted +  and not branched +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
14 cm140 mm <br />0.14 m <br /> (?) +
subterminal +  and eccentric +
once-geniculate +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
narrower +
deciduous +
35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
not evident +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
spikelike +
well-developed +
Pillar-of-smoke +, Australian plumegrass +  and Stout bamboograss +
persistent +
extravaginal +  and basal +
geniculate +
not woody +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
cylindrical +
1.8mm +  and 2.5mm +
1-10-veined +
usually longer +
subtending +
scabridulous +
inflated +
subequal +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
membranous +
uncinate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
solid +  and hollow +
basally concentrated +  and evenly distributed +
basal +  and cauline +
3-5(7)-veined +
with a tuft +  and glabrous +
tuberculate +
ovate +, rectangular +  and lanceolate +
subequal +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
indurate +  and coriaceous +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
membranous +
0 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
minute +  and small +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
fleshy +  and membranous +
concealed +  and prominent +
6 +  and 9 +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
reduced +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (?) +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
not prolonged +
disarticulating +
1 +  and 60 +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
laterally compressed +  and terete +
0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Austrostipa ramosissima +
Austrostipa +
species +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
12 +, 11 +, 10 +, 8 +  and 7 +