Rostraria cristata (L.) Tzvelev

Adult plant

Rostraria cristata is an annual grass with an upright habit that can reach 50 cm high, with fibrous fasciculated roots. Thin, glabrous, simple, cylindrical, leafy culm. Sheath of circular section, with visible veins, with overlapping but not welded lateral edges. Blade loosely hairy, shaggy with soft hairs, plane, 2-10 cm x 2-5 mm. Ligule short, membranous truncate, toothed. Inflorescence a spiciform contracted panicle, 1-10 cm x 1-15 mm, cylindrical, dense, sometimes showing small distinct glomerules at base, composed of numerous (3)-5-(7) florets. Glumes unequal, very broadly scarious, hairy. Flowers articulated on the racheole, with hairy lemma, margin thin and translucent, 2-lobed at the apex and with a ridge extending the main vein rough to the touch and equaling at least half the lemma, with bifid palea shorter than the lemma and translucent like it. Free caryopses.

Origin

Rostraria cristata is native to the Mediterranean-Iranian-Turanic region.

Worldwide distribution

This species was introduced in the west of the USA, in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay), in South Africa, in Japan, in Australia and in Tasmania.

Algeria: Common species everywhere except in the Sahara where it is rare.

https://www.gbif.org/species/5289906