羽毛针禾 yu mao zhen he

Aristida pennata Trinius, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg Hist. Acad. 6: 488. 1815; Aristida pungens var. pennata (Trinius) Trautvetter; Arthratherum pennatum (Trinius) Tzvelev.

Perennial with slender rhizomes, roots tomentose. Culms tussocky, 20–60 cm tall, much branched at base. Leaf sheaths smooth or scabrid, longer than internodes; leaf blades involute, 10–30 cm, glaucous, abaxial surface scabrid, adaxial surface puberulent; ligule short, margin with 0.5–1 mm hairs. Panicle lax, open, base usually included in uppermost leaf sheath, 5–20 cm; branches paired, rarely solitary. Spikelets 1.3–1.7 cm, stramineous; glumes narrowly lanceolate, smooth or scabrid, pubescent within, subequal, lower slightly longer than upper, lower glume 3–5-veined, upper glume 3-veined, apex acuminate; callus ca. 1 mm; lemma 5–7 mm, smooth on back, apex truncate, ciliolate; awn with short 0.3–1 mm column, all 3 branches densely plumose throughout, hairs 2–4 mm, central branch 1–1.5 cm, lateral branches a little shorter. Fl. and fr. Jul–Sep.

Fixed dunes; 300–500 m. Xinjiang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia (Caucasus, Iran)].

This species provides good fodder when young and is also good for binding sand.