Brush Wire-grass - native (Aristida behriana)

Native. Perennial. C4.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Identification:

• it has a dense flower cluster
• the florets have a single lemma
• the lemma is longer than the glumes
• the leaf blades are flat, folded or rolled
• the ligule is membranous with a fringe and 0.3mm long.

It is a common and conspicuous plant in northern grasslands. A spreading grass. The lemmas divide into three long awns.

The flowers are clustered , and sometimes tangled together.

The spreading habit, and the narrow, three-awned lemmas make this a very distinctive grass.

Arista: an awn. behriana: in honour of H. H. Behr, 1818-1904, a German doctor, plant collector and naturalist, who came to South Australia in 1844 and lived amongst the natives, learning their languages and habits.

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