G.299. Aristida L. - Bristle grasses

Description of the genus

Annuals or perennials. Spikelets 1-flowered, disarticulating above the glumes, in terminal, lax or contracted, panicles; glumes persistent, narrow, usually 1-nerved. Lemma narrow, with hard callus at base, with or without a beak or twisted column; articulation present or 0, usually visible as a transverse darker line on the body of the lemma, occurring at the apex of the lemma or at the apex of the column; awns 3 (1 central, 2 lateral) or rarely 1, glabrous.

Worldwide: c. 330 species in warm regions of the world

Zambia: 29 taxa.

Aristida congesta

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
adscensionis L.N,C,E,SDescription, Image
aemulans Melderis N
aequiglumis Hack.C,SDescription
barbicollis Trin. & Rupr.SDescription
canescens HenrardSDescription
congesta Roem. & Schult.SDescription, Image
cumingiana Trin. & Rupr.B,N,W,C,EDescription
denudata Pilg.B,N,CDescription
diminuta (Mez) C.E. Hubb.C,SDescription
hordeacea KunthN,SDescription
junciformis Trin. & Rupr. subsp. macilenta (Henrard) MelderisC,SDescription
junciformis Trin. & Rupr. subsp. welwitschii (Rendle) MelderisB,N,W,CDescription
leucophaea HenrardB,C,SDescription
meridionalis HenrardB,N,SDescription
pilgeri HenrardB,SDescription
recta Franch.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
rhiniochloa Hochst.E,SDescription, Image
scabrivalvis Hack. subsp. borumensis (Henrard) MelderisS
scabrivalvis Hack. subsp. contracta (De Winter) MelderisS
scabrivalvis Hack. subsp. scabrivalvis N,S
stenostachya Clayton N
stipitata Hack. subsp. graciliflora (Pilg.) MelderisSDescription
stipitata Hack. subsp. ramifera (Pilg.) MelderisSDescription
stipitata Hack. subsp. robusta (Stent & J.M. Rattray) MelderisB,SDescription
stipitata Hack. subsp. spicata (De Winter) Melderis?Description
stipitata Hack. subsp. stipitata B,SDescription
stipoides Lam.B,SDescription
textilis Mez N,S
vestita Thunb.SDescription

Other sources of information about Aristida:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Aristida
Flora of Burundi: Aristida
Flora of Caprivi: Aristida
Flora of Malawi: Aristida
Flora of Mozambique: Aristida
Flora of Zimbabwe: Aristida

External websites:

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

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Aristida.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=150, retrieved 2 April 2025

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