Derivation
Aristida L., Sp. Pl. 1: 82 (1753); from the Latin arista (an awn).

ingrata- from the Latin ingratus (unpleasant), presumably referring to the seed adhering to clothing etc.

Published in
Biblioth. Bot. 85: 346 (1915).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Culms 41–155 cm tall. Mid-culm internodes smooth, glabrous. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches branched. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–1 mm long. Collar pubescent. Leaf-blades curled, 10–23 cm long, 3–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 0 vascular bundles. Leaf-blade surface scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle contracted, linear or lanceolate, 11–42 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, moderately spaced, 7 cm long, bearing spikelets almost to the base.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, without rhachilla extension, lanceolate, terete, 6–14 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated, pubescent, acute.

Glumes
Glumes lower deciduous, upper persistent or deciduous, similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, 6–14 mm long, 100–120% length of upper glume, membranous, 1-keeled, 1(–3)-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume surface smooth to scabrous, glabrous. Lower glume apex acute to setaceously acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, 6–12 mm long, 150% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved, midnerve scabrous. Upper glume lateral nerves absent. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex entire or erose, emarginate or acute or acuminate or cuspidate, muticous or mucronate.

Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate, subterete, 4–8 mm long, coriaceous, pallid or light brown, mottled with last colour, 3-nerved. Lemma surface papillose or punctate. Lemma margins involute, covering most of palea, without distinctive roughness. Lemma apex acute, 3-awned. Median (principal) awn pseudo-articulate at base, triquetrous below, 10–30 mm long, without a column, persistent. Lateral lemma awns present, 8–28 mm long, subequal to principal or shorter than principal, 80–90% of length of principal. Palea 20% of length of lemma, without keels. Anthers 3. Grain with adherent pericarp, grooved. Embryo 40–60% of length of grain. Hilum linear, 50% of length of caryopsis.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.

Western Australia: Gardner. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Barkly Tableland. Queensland: Burke, Cook, Gregory North, Leichhardt, Mitchell, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Warrego.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Aristidoideae

Notes
Native. Acacia, Eucalyptus, Eremophila, gidgee (Acacia cambagei), mulga (Acacia aneura) and Melaleuca communities on red earths, loams, sands and alluvial soils. Flowering and fruiting all year but mainly March to August. Aristida ingrata differs from Aristida sciuroides by having smaller spikelets, a lemma pseudoarticulation and by the leaf blades curling up at maturity and from Aristida inaequiglumis by the glumes differing in length by less than 3 mm.