Nassella trichotoma (Nees) Hack. ex Arechav.

Serrated tussock (en), Aristelle de Montévidéo (fr), Nasselle trichotome (fr), Stipe trichotome (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Poaceae > Nassella

Characteristics

Caespitose perennial with shoots swollen and white at base, and open ± purple panicle, branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath to 5 cm, scabrid near ligule and on upper margins, becoming glabrous below. Ligule to 1.5 mm, decurrent, symmetrical or asymmetrical, rounded or apiculate, short-hairy or scabrid. Leaf-blade to 35 cm × 0.5 mm diam., inrolled appearing terete, very stiff, acicular, abaxially markedly antrorsely scabrid, adaxially clothed in short dense hairs; margins smooth. Culm to 70 cm, glabrous except for hairs above and below nodes. Panicle to 25 cm, open, much-branched, drooping, at maturity readily detaching with culm and blowing freely; rachis, branches and pedicels scabrid. Glumes ± equal, 5-8 mm, deeply purple-suffused, 3-nerved, produced into awn c. 2 mm, nerves and margins stiff hairy. Lemma to 2.5 mm, 5-nerved, gibbous, tubercular-scabrid except on margin, lobes short, apiculate; coma present; awn tardily caducous to 35 mm, weakly 1-geniculate, short stiff hairy, column loosely twisted, to 15 mm, arista to 20 mm. Palea c. 1 mm, completely enclosed by lemma, glabrous, hyaline, weakly bifid at apex. Callus to 0.3 mm, blunt, hairs to 1.5 mm. Lodicules 2, to 1 mm in chasmogamous flowers, to 0.6 mm in cleistogamous flowers. Anthers penicillate, in chasmogamous flowers to 2 mm; in cleistogamous flowers 1 fertile anther to 0.7 mm, and 2 aborted anthers to 0.3 mm. Plate 3D.
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Very densely tufted perennial 250-650 mm high; mature plant droops. Leaf blade 150-450 x 0.25-0.50 mm, setaceous: ligule obtuse. Inflorescence open, sparsely branched. Spikelet 6.0-8.5 mm long (excluding awns); glumes ± equal, long finely acuminate, purple; lemma obovate, asymmetrical, widest near apex, strongly overlapping, narrowing abruptly to crown; crown not obvious, straightsided; rim not obvious, either lacerate or entire, glabrous, coarsely tuberculate, hairy basally; awn 15-35 mm long, off centre, straight or geniculate, lower part scabrid or very short hairy, rest scabrid; callus acute, long hairy; anthers 1.0-1.5 mm long.
Very densely tufted perennial, 250-650 mm high. Leaf blade 150-450 x 0.250.50 mm, setaceous; ligule an unfringed membrane. Inflorescence a panicle; spikelets all alike, pedicelled. Spikelets 6.0-8.5 mm long (excluding awns), laterally compressed; glumes ± equal, longer than spikelet, similar, rounded on back, 3-nerved, swollen around floret at base, long, finely acuminate. Floret 1; lemma firmer than glumes, becoming indurated, tuberculate, rough, strongly overlapping; awn up to 35 mm long, asymmetrically attached, geniculate, robust, longer than body of lemma. Flowering time Aug.-Jan.
Plants dense, to 0.7 m tall. Leaves: ligule 0.5–2.5 mm long, obtuse or truncate, papery; blade convolute-filiform, 0.25–0.5 mm wide, very bristly. Inflorescence at length shortly exserted, 10–25 cm long, pyramidal, effuse, often purplish, with rather few spikelets towards tips of ultimate branches, detaching at maturity. Glumes acuminate; lower glume 6–8.5 mm long; upper glume 5–7.5 mm long. Callus
Densely tufted perennial to 60 cm. Leaves linear, rolled, tough. Spikelets 6.0-8.5 mm long, in an open panicle, awns slender, 35 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination anemogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.25 - 0.58
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Grows on low fertility soils in hillyareas. 
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture -
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-10

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
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Images

Leaf

Nassella trichotoma leaf picture by that's someguy (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Nassella trichotoma world distribution map, present in Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Uruguay, United States of America, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:167243-2
WFO ID wfo-0000881294
COL ID 45SB7
BDTFX ID 43796
INPN ID 109381
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Stipa trichotoma Urachne trichotoma Agrostis trichotoma Caryochloa trichotoma Oryzopsis trichotoma Piptatherum macratherum Stipa macrathera Urachne macrathera Stipa tenella Piptochaetium trichotomum Nassella trichotoma