82 
Value as a fodder—An excellent grass, nutritious and palatable, 
and making great growth if reasonably conserved. Many people look 
upon it as but little inferior in value to the true kangaroo-grass. In 
the northern territory of South Australia, the Rev. J. E. Tenison- 
Woods thus refers to it: “ It was usually a coarse jungle-grass, more 
like a rush or sedge, and often completely concealing the horses. The 
species was most commonly A. refractus, a worthless, weedy grass, 
only good when young and green. In the dry state the horses would 
not touch it.” This unfavourable report refers to a tropical locality. 
Other uses—The roots (in common with those of other species of 
the genus) are aromatic, and perhaps for that reason the coarse hay 
of the species is used by Fijians for mattresses. Hackel states that in 
Tahiti the natives prepare a cosmetic oil, ‘‘monoi,”’ from it. 
Habitat and range.—F ound in Victoria and Queensland, besides New 
South Wales. It occurs in most parts of the Colony, right from the 
coast districts to the west. It is also a native of the Pacific Islands 
and of Japan. 
14, Andropogon lachnatherus, Benth. 
Botanical name.—Lachnatherus—Greek, lachne, soft woolly hair ; 
ather, an ear of corn, in reference to the vestiture of the spike. 
Synonym.—A. filipendulinus, Hoch., in Muell. Census. 
Where figured.—Agricultural Gazette. 
Botanical description (B. F1., vii, 534). 
Stems rather slender, erect, about 2 feet high. 
Leaves narrow, glabrous or sprinkled with long hairs. 
Nodes not bearded. 
Panicle looser than in the preceding species, with slender but not very long branches, 
solitary or clustered within sheathing bracts or floral leaves. 
Peduncles exceeding the last sheathing bracts, bearing each two spikes, but not 
digitate, one attached lower down than the other, each 4 to ? inch long without 
the awns. 
Sessile spikelets three or four, the lowest sometimes containing only a male flower, 
the others with a hermaphrodite flower, 2 to 23 lines long, slightly hairy. 
Outer glume obtuse, about nine-nerved. 
Second rather shorter, obtuse, three-nerved. 
Third very narrow, thin, and hyaline. 
Awn or terminal glume on a short filiform base, 1 to 2 inches long, the lower re rigid 
and hirsute with rufous hairs. 
Pedicellate spikelets narrow, acute, 24 to 3 lines long, usually containing a male 
flower. 
Outer glume many-nerved, often produced into a fine point. 
Value as a fodder—We have little knowledge as to its value for 
this purpose in New South Wales. It probably resembles most of 
its congeners, in being a very useful grass when young and tender. 
Speaking of Queensland, Bailey says: “ During the early part of 
summer it affords a fair amount of herbage, after which it sends up a 
number of flattened long stems, the greater part of which is occupied 
with the branching dry inflorescence, which is seldom touched by 
stock.” 
Habitat and range.-—Found in New South Wales and Queensland. 
In our Colony it extends from the north coast to New England, bemg 
usually found in poor, stony ground. It is also found in Hast Africa. 
