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Rigid Needle Grass
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Rigid Needle Grass
P Native Photo: Ankush Dave
Common name: Rigid Needle Grass • Malayalam: Pottapullu
Botanical name: Aristida hystrix    Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
Synonyms: Aristida rigida, Aristida rigescens, Aristida tripilis

Rigid Needle Grass is an annual or perennial grass with stems up to 60 cm tall, clustered, geniculate, nodes hairless. Leaves are 5-10 x 0.1-0.2 cm, narrow, hairless; sheath rounded, hairless; ligule a row of hairs. Flower panicles are 10-15 x 7 cm, lax; branches thread-like, hairless. Spikelets are similar, 7-8 mm long, lanceshaped, solitary, stalked; lower glume 4 x 0.5 mm, 1-nerved, hairless; upper glume 7 x 0.5 mm, tapering, 1-nerved, keeled; floret one; lemma 7-8 x 1 mm, lanceshaped, 3-nerved, awned; awns 10-15 mm long; palea minute, hyaline; stamens 3; ovary elliptic; styles 2, free; stigma plumose. Rigid Needle Grass is native to India to Myanmar. Flowering: June-December.

Identification credit: Manoj Chandran Photographed in Bastar, Chattisgarh.

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