Austrostipa elegantissima

(Labill.) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett
Common names: Australian feathergrass
Synonyms: Stipa elegantissima
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 m, shrubby; cespitose, shortly rhizomatous. Culms decumbent, branched, with 3-6 (10) nodes, glabrous. Leaves not forming a basal cluster; sheaths becoming somewhat free, glabrous, often somewhat ribbed; ligules 2-3 mm, obtuse, erose, glabrous; blades (2) 5-7.5 cm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, tightly rolled, glabrous, sometimes scabrous, margins glabrous, sometimes scabrous. Panicles 14-25 cm, open, with whorls of branches bearing few spikelets, detached at maturity; branches and pedicels plumose, hairs 1.5-3 mm. Glumes 7-12 mm, 3-veined basally, veins pilose; florets 4.5-10 mm, narrowly cylindrical; calluses 0.5-0.8 mm, nearly straight, sericeous; lemmas tuberculate, mostly glabrous, black when mature, margins with short strigose hairs proximally; awns 2-5 cm, once or twice-geniculate, first segment scabrous; paleas about 1/2 the length of the lemmas; anthers 1.5-3 mm, penicillate. Caryopses 4-5 mm. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Austrostipa elegantissima is native to southern Australia. It is cultivated as an ornamental in the United States.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

... more about "Austrostipa elegantissima"
membranous +  and scarious +
penicillate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
pilose +  and glabrous +
mucronate +, muticous +, acuminate +  and acute +
Surrey W.L. Jacobs +
(Labill.) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett +
twisted +  and not branched +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
subterminal +  and eccentric +
2 times-geniculate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
narrower +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
not evident +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
well-developed +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
Australian feathergrass +
persistent +
ascending +  and erect +
extravaginal +  and basal +
geniculate +
not woody +
0 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
cylindrical +
4.5mm +  and 10mm +
1-10-veined +
usually longer +
subtending +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
membranous +
uncinate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
solid +  and hollow +
3-5(7)-veined +
tuberculate +
ovate +, rectangular +  and lanceolate +
subequal +
indurate +  and coriaceous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
membranous +
0 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
minute +  and small +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
fleshy +  and membranous +
concealed +  and prominent +
3 +  and 6 +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
reduced +
14 cm140 mm <br />0.14 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
hairy +, scabrous +  and smooth +
dry +  and fleshy +
not prolonged +
disarticulating +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
laterally compressed +  and terete +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Stipa elegantissima +
Austrostipa elegantissima +
Austrostipa +
species +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
plant +, cespitose +  and shrubby +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
12 +, 11 +, 10 +, 8 +  and 7 +