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Botanical notes.—There are four varieties of this species :— 
1. Glaberrimum.—Stems tall; branches of the panicle sometimes more than § 
inches long, the whole plant glabrous, spikes 14 lines long, glabrous. 
Hitherto only recorded from Queensland. 
2. Normale.—Foliage glabrous, or nearly so, panicle branches 4 to 8 inches long, 
spikelets 14 lines long, silky-villous, rarely nearly glabrous. 
Coast districts of New South Wales; also Queensland. 
3. Ammophilum.—Foliage softly villous, spikelets small, covered with long silky 
hairs, spreading when in fruit. 
Syn. : P. ammophilum, F.v.M. 
Interior of South Australia and of New South Wales. 
4, Radiatum.—Foliage softly villous, spikelets small, glabrous, or nearly so. 
Syn. : P. radiatum, R.Br. 
Coast districts of New South Wales; also Queensland. 
Value as a fodder.—This variable grass is more widely diffused in 
the drier regions, and it is not only a drought-resisting species, but it 
yields palatable and nutritious fodder. It also seeds freely. 
Habitat and range.—In all the colonies except Tasmania and 
Western Australia. Adapts itself to a great variety of soils and 
climatic conditions, from the coast to the dry country. 
3. Panicum macractinium, Benth. 
Botanical name.—Macractinium, from two Greek words, macros, 
long, and actis, actinos a ray ; referring to the long rays of the panicle. 
Vernacular name.—‘,Roly-poly Grass.” So called because its 
panicles, when ripe, break off and are blown and roll about by the 
wind. Hence it has got into bad repute, because of useless plants 
which behave in a similar manner. 
Where jigured.—Bailey. 
Botanical description (B. F]., vii,468).—Allied to P. divaricatissimum, 
but taller and quite glabrous. 
Panicle similar, the slender branches rigid, often 6 to 8 inches long, the lower ones 
in a dense verticil, the upper ones alternate and distant. 
Spikelets distant in pairs, one almost sessile, the other on a longer pedicel, both 
fertile and similar, narrow, acute, about 14 lines long. 
Outer glume 3 to ? line long, ovate, oblong, obtuse, the second nearly as long as the 
third, three or five nerved, the margins ciliate, the third rather longer, very 
prominently three-nerved, ciliate, with rigid hairs proceeding from a row of 
prominent tubercles. 
Flowering glume narrow, acute. 
Value as a fodder.—One of the dry-country grasses; grows in tufts, 
and is nutritious. It is especially valuable in producing a quantity of 
palatable feed when young and green ; later on the natural hay is still 
sought after by stock. 
Habitat and range.—In New South Wales and Queensland, from 
the coast to the interior. 
“ Although it is often found on rich downs country, it is often met 
with on the poorest sandy ridges.” (Bailey.} 
