49 
Botanical notes.—Var. convallium, less hairy, and more or less 
glaucous. 
Value as a fodder.—A useful grass, which has very extended geo- 
graphical range, valuable alike in the coast country and in the dry 
interior. It is an excellent grass, nutritious, and palatable. Speak- 
ing of a test at the Wollongbar Farm, Mr. McKeown reports: “ It is 
too light for pasture, being easily destroyed by stock.” 
Habitat and range.—Found in all the colonies, except Tasmania. 
In this Colony, from the Coast districts to the dry interior. 
51. Panicum Mitchelli, Benth. 
Botanical name.—Mitchelli, in honor of Major (afterwards Lieut.- 
Colonel Sir Thomas) Mitchell, an explorer, and for many years 
Surveyor-General of the Colony, who collected the grass on one of his 
journeys. 
Botanical description (B. F1., vii, 489).—An erect grass, decumbent 
at the base only, 2 or 3 feet high; nearly allied to P. effusum, but 
larger ; quite glabrous, and the nodes not bearded. 
Leaves often long. 
Short ligula rather jagged than ciliate. 
Panicle usually very large and spreading, with very numerous divided filiform 
branches, the lower ones clustered and rigid, the upper ones scattered. 
Spikelets all pedicellate, usually several along the ultimate branches, rather above 1 
line long, acutely acuminate, quite glabrous. 
Outer glume acute, nearly half the length of the spikelet, one to three-nerved. 
Second and third glumes nearly equal, acutely acuminate, about five-nerved. 
Palea in the third sometimes very small, more frequently above half the glume. 
Fruiting glume smooth and shining. 
Value as a fodder.—An even more valuable grass than the pre- 
ceding, to which it is closely allied. 
Habitat and range.—In all the colonies, except Tasmania and 
Western Australia. In this Colony, from the coast to the interior, but 
more common in the dry country. 
52. Panicum decompositum, R.Br. 
Botanical name.—Decompositum, Latin, divided, cr not set together, 
alluding to the branches and the panicle. 
Synonyms.— P. laevinode, Lindl.; also, P. paludosum, Roxb. (pro- 
bably). 
Vernacular Names.—< Native Millet,” ‘Umbrella Grass.” Some- 
times called “ Barley Grass.” The seed used to be called ‘ Cooly” 
by Western New South Wales aborigines, and ‘‘Tindil” by the 
aborigines of the Cloncurry River (North Queensland). 
Where figured.—Agricultural Gazette. 
Botanical description (B. Fl., vu, 489)—A semi-aquatic glabrous 
grass, often tall and stout. 
Leaves mostly long, flat, and rather broad, especially when growing in water, narrow 
in drier situations. 
Ligula very short and broad, ciliate. 
Panicle 6 inches to 1 foot long, or even more, with numerous crowded filiform 
divided branches, the lower ones clustered, at first erect, and enclosed at the 
base within the last leaf sheath, at length sometimes very loose and spreading 
to the breadth of 1 foot. 
D 
