Aristida congesta

Aristida congesta (tassel three-awn, Afrikaans: Aapstertsteekgras) is a species of grass native to all provinces of South Africa as well as Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Mozambique. The SANBI Red List classifies it as "safe."[1]

Tassel three-awn
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Aristida
Species:
A. congesta
Binomial name
Aristida congesta
Roem. & Schult.

SANBI mentions two subspecies:

Aristida congesta Roem. & Schult. subsp. congesta
Aristida congesta Roem. & Schult. subsp. barbicollis (Trin. & Rupr.) De Winter[2]

The inflorescence in winter, Limpopo

It is a thick perennial tussock that grows 10โ€“75 cm high. The leaves can be flat or folded. The plumes are 3โ€“20 cm long. The spikelets have uneven husks. The upper portion is the widest, at 6.5โ€“10 mm. It can be found on deciduous woodland on rocky slopes and weathered areas.[3]

Grazing

Sketch by Roem and Schult

It has little value for grazing except when young:

Header textEIWSWIWLnregWIW
Grazing Response Index[4]11.31.04

References

  1. "SANBI Red List entry". SANBI.
  2. "Red List entry". SANBI.
  3. "FAO". UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  4. "P C V du Toit Objektiewe weidingsindekswaardes van Nama-Karoo plantegroei: grasse en bossies van die Karoo". Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute.


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