Seaside Threeawn (Aristida tuberculosa)
Description
Seaside threeawn is a plant of coastal sand dunes in New England. It has notably unusual awns that are loosely twisted around one another at the base. This is a great illustration of functional morphology, as the awns remain attached to the caryopsis (fruit) after dispersal, and function to bury the caryopsis in the sand as the awns twist and untwist with changes in humidity.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Poales
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Family: Poaceae
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Genus: Aristida
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