2025-03-01 FLORA 2025 324(卷), null(期), (null页)
Phytolith analysis has gained immense importance in taxonomic demarcation of grass species based on the morphometry and abundance of distinctive phytolith morphotypes. Aristida, a genus belonging to the subfamily Aristidoideae under family Poaceae is distributed in wide geographical locations and prefers to grow in warm and arid regions.The present study attempts to distinguish different species of Aristida collected from various sites of northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India on the basis of variations in BILOBATE silico-morphotypes. We suggest that BILOBATES having long shank with convex-convex ends can be regarded as the most significant morphotype for the genus Aristida. The present study further shows how BILOBATE sub-morphotypes aid taxonomic differentiation of Aristida species of the study area and correlates the grasses with the regional climatic parameters.