Triodia pascoeana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Stolons present. Culms robust; 100–300 cm long. Culm-internodes yellow, or brown. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; woolly; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs pubescent, or ciliate; 0.5–5 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.2–1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5–1 cm long. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; filiform; conduplicate; 6–30 cm long; 0.8–1.5 mm wide; stiff, or firm; eglandular, or glandular; without exudate. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear; dense; 30–40 cm long; 0.5–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending; simple; 4–7 cm long. Panicle axis angular; scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.8–1.3 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–11 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3–7.5 mm long; 1–2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes. Rhachilla elongation 0.3 mm long. Rhachilla internodes terete, or compressed; 0.5 mm long; scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous, or sparsely hairy; truncate, or obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear, or ovate; 1.8–3 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume linear, or ovate; 2–3.5 mm long; scarious; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex emarginate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5–0.8 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 2–3 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins scaberulous; eciliate, or ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex lobed; 3 -fid; with lobes 0.3–1 mm long; obtuse, or acute; muticous. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma; cartilaginous. Palea keels thickened; scaberulous; adorned above. Palea surface smooth; glabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.3 mm long; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1–1.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Lazarides 1996.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.