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Value as a fodder.—A creeping grass found near water; forms a 
good sward, covering the land as the water recedes in waterholes. 
(Bailey). Believed to be nutritious ; stock eat it readily. 
Habitat and range.—A semi-aquatic, found in all the colonies except 
Tasmania ; and, as regards our own Colony, from the Coast districts on 
the ranges and table-lands to the driest districts. Found also in 
Asia. 
2. Chameraphis paradoxa, Poir. 
Botanical name.—Paradoaa—Latin adjective, “ something unusual 
or unexpected,” a name first given to this grass by Robert Brown, 
who called it Paniewm paradorum, as it was abnormal in comparison 
with other species of that genus. 
Synonym.—Panicum paradorum, R. Br. 
Where figured.— Agricultural Gazette. ; 
Botanical description (B. Fl., vii, 499)—A smaller plant than C. 
spinescens. 
Leaves mostly short and spreading. 
Panicle almost reduced to a simple spikelike raceme. 
Awnlike branches mostly bearing only a single spikelet near the base. 
Lower ones only occasionally more elongated, with two distant spikelets. 
Rhachis always produced into a Jong awn, exceeding the spikelet. 
Spikelets acuminate, 4 or 5 lines long. 
Outer glume broad, thinly membranous, about 3 line long, the second and third glumes 
nearly equal, striate with many nerves. 
Fruiting glume oblong, acute, nearly 2 lines long, thin, and almost nerveless. 
Value as a fodder.—Probably the same as that of the preceding 
species. hese moisture-loving plants are frequently not appreciated 
to the extent they deserve, because the uncomfortable situations in 
which they are found, render careful examination and continued 
observation of them difficult for the greater part of the year. 
Habitat and range.—Semi-aquatic; occurs from Victoria and 
Queensland. In our Colony it extends from the Coast district to the 
table-land. It is uncommon around Port Jackson. 
Reference to plate.—A. Portion of a panicle, enlarged; 8B. A spikelet, showing the 
rhachis produced into an awn longer than the spikelet ; c. Grain. 
13. SPINIFEX. 
Spikelets dicecious,* spicate or solitary on partial rhachises col- 
lected in dense globular heads, with a bract under each rhachis. 
Male plant: Spikelets usually several to each bract, spicate or 
clustered, two-flowered. 
Glumes four, nearly similar, two outer empty ones sometimes smaller, 
sometimes larger than the two flowering ones; a perfect palea and 
three stamens within each flowering one. 
Fertile plant: Spikelets solitary within each bract at the base of a 
partial rhachis, with one female or hermaphrodite flower, and an im- 
perfect or rudimentary, or sometimes a male flower below it. 
*Dicecious means having the male and female inflorescence on separate plants. This is 
very unusual in grasses. 
