noun
- Plural of arista; bristle-like appendages that extend from the glumes or lemmas of grass flowers.
Usage: botanical term; commonly used in agronomy and plant biology
Examples
- The aristas on the wheat grain help with seed dispersal.
- Barley varieties often have prominent aristas extending from the spike.
- The aristas of wild grasses can catch on animal fur to spread seeds.
- Farmers sometimes select for shorter aristas in certain grain crops.
- Under the microscope, the aristas showed fine serrated edges.