Aristida congesta

Tassel three-awn
Scientific 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.

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]

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 10–75 cm high. The leaves can be flat or folded. The plumes are 3–20 cm long. The spikelets have uneven husks. The upper portion is the widest, at 6.5–10 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 text	EIW	SWIW	LnregWIW
Grazing Response Index[4]	1	1.3	1.04

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.