Poaceae
Aristida

Aristida hintonii Hitchc.

First published in N.L.Britton & al. (eds.), N. Amer. Fl. 17: 382 (1935)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to El Salvador. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 60-130 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 25-50 cm long; 3-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; elliptic; 20-40 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches 10-15 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 7-9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent; obtuse.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 7-9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent; obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets, or exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5-6.5 mm long; 0.5-0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; purple; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7-8.5 mm long; 1-1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; purple; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma linear; subterete; 5-9 mm long; coriaceous; purple; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 7-10 mm long limb; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 5-6 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 1-2 mm long; shorter than principal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3.
Distribution
North America: Mexico.
Reference
Aristideae. Fl Nov Gal 1994.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0