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Vernacular names.— Early Spring Grass.” Everlasting Grass” 
is an American name. 
Where figured.—Duthie (as H. polystachya) ; Agricultural Gazette. 
Botanical description (B.F1., vii, 462).—An erect grass, attaining 2 
or 3 feet; glabrous, except the inflorescence, and sometimes a slight 
pubescence in the upper part. 
Leaves rather long, flat or convolute when dry. 
Spikes or panicle branches about five to eight, distant, erect, secund, the lowest often 
above 2 inches long, the others gradually shorter. 
Rhachis, as well as the main axis, pubescent or hairy. 
Spikelets all pedicellate, but often rather close. 
Pedicels 1 to 2 lines long, usually bearing a few hairs. 
Spikelet ovoid, acute or shortly acuminate, rather above 14 lines long, seated on a 
thick annular or almost cupular disk, articulate on the pedicel. 
Empty glumes membranous, broad, and usually five-nerved, or the inner one rather 
narrower and sometimes only three-nerved, both more or less hairy outside, and 
sometimes rather densely covered with long hairs. 
Flowering glume much shorter, coriaceous, faintly three or five nerved ; obtuse, but 
the midrib produced into a point or awn as long as the outer glumes, as in Pani- 
cum helopus. 
Value as a fodder.—One of the best pasture grasses of the Colony, 
particularly of the coast districts, though it will endure considerable 
drought. It grows freely, is succulent, and much esteemed by stock. 
A good account of New South Wales experience with this grass 
is by Mr. Seccombe, who experimented with it on the Richmond 
River. He reported: “ This perennial grass is fairly plentiful, and 
in sheltered situations in this district it maimtains some growth all the 
winter. It grows rapidly from very early spring to late summer, and, 
if undisturbed, reaches a length of 2 or 3 feet. It grows on various 
kinds of soil. Under cultivation its growth is wonderful, as well as 
its power of seed-producing. I took as much as six cuttings for seed 
off my plot during the season 1894 to 1895. This grass has been 
introduced to our district, no doubt through the agency of travelling 
stock, for it can be found more or less on the old, much-used high- 
ways. It is seldom seen to any satisfaction in open situations, as 
stock and padamelons keep it cropped very close. This close 
clipping has given rise to frequently-expressed ideas that Hriochloa 
punctata banishes Mullumbimby Couch [Kyllingia monocephala, a 
great pest.—J.H.M.]. It is a grass, I feel confident, our dairy- 
farmers should introduce to their holdings; it has great vitality, 
unquestionable milk and butter qualities, as well as the invaluable 
property of rapid reproduction.” 
I also quote a valuable report on it from the United States, of which 
country it is also a native :— 
“Trrigated but uncultivated fields usually produce an abundant crop 
of the above grass each season. After the corn is ‘laid by,’ or during 
what little ramy weather we have in the summer, this grass appears 
in the cornfields, along the ditch-banks and in the fence-rows, and 
makes a very rapid growth during the hot days of August and 
September. It occasionally does considerable damage as a weed in 
the Alfalfa (Lucerne) fields. 
