58 
the ranges may often be seen covered by this grass, both in New South 
Wales and Queensland. In our Colony it is found on the poorest 
soils to the best, but it prefers good soil in brush country on hillsides. 
Found from south (Mount Dromedary) to the north of our Colony in 
the Coast districts. 
9. CHAMADRAPHIS. 
Spikelets with one terminal flower, usually female by abortion and 
a male one below it, few and distant or solitary on the filiform branches 
of a simple panicle, the partial rhachis produced into a long awnlike 
point beyond the insertion of the upper or only spikelet. 
Glumes four, the outer empty one very small, the second and third 
nearly equal, membranous, or at length rigid, many nerved, often 
tapering to a point, but not awned; the third with a palea, and three 
stamens in its axil; the fourth, or fruiting glume, shorter and very 
faintly nerved. 
Palea with inflected margins, but not auriculate. 
Staminodia usually two, very slender, with small abortive anthers. 
Styles very shortly united at the base. 
Grain enclosed in the scarious, or rather rigid fruitimg glume and 
palea, but free from them. Semi-aquatic grasses, glabrous, or 
nearly so. 
Leaves flat, the ligula short. 
Panicle spreading, with distant spikelets on filiform branches. 
Fruiting glume short and obtuse ... os ae Nay 
Panicle spikelike but loose, the spikelets often two together on the 
lower branches. Fruiting glume acute. Outer glume half a 
line long, membranous ___.... es = aa age .. 2. C, paradoxa. 
1. C. spinescens. 
1, Chameraphis spinescens, Poir. 
Botanical name.—Chameraphis, Greek, chamai for “ on the ground,” 
and raphis a neédle, referrmg to the awn-like point of the rhachis ; 
spinescens, derived from the Latin spina, a thorn or prickle, having 
much the meaning of raphis in the present connection. 
Synonym.—Panicum spinescens, R.Br. 
Botanical description (B. F1., vu, 498) :— 
Stems creeping at the base, and when in water forming large floating masses. 
Leaves linear-lanceolate, flat, with loose flattened sheaths, quite smooth, or slightly 
scabrous. 
Panicle, 2 to 4 inches long, with rather numerous filiform, flexuose, spreading 
branches produced beyond the last spikelet into an awnlike point always longer 
than the spikelet. 
Spikelets few on each branch, distant, shortly pedicellate, but closely appressed in 
each bend of the rhachis, very narrow, about 3 lines long in the typical form. 
Pedicels and rhachis usually minutely scabrous-ciliate. 
Outer glume about 4 line long, thinly membranous, the second many-nerved, 
tapering to a long point ; the third usually rather smaller, with a shorter point 
and fewer nerves, enclosing the male flower. 
Fruiting glume much shorter, obtuse, very thin, and remaining thin as well as the 
palea over the grain which readily falls out of them. 
