Australian Grasses. 



Audropogon bombycimis, R. Br. (Referring to the inflorescence 

 resembling masses of silk.) " Silky Heads." An erect rigid perennial grass 

 of H to 3 feet, usually glabrous, except a little silky pubescence on the 

 lower leaf -sheaths, the nodes glabrous or shortly bearded. Leaves narrow, 

 flat, rather rigid, the liguia very prominent, entire. Panicle shortly branched, 

 3 to 6 inches long, with sheathing bracts of 1 inch to 2 inches under the 

 branches. Peduncles usually shorter than the bracts, bearing each a narrow 

 sheathing bract and two very densely woolly-hairy spikes of ^ to 1 inch, at 

 first erect, but soon spreading or reflexed. Sessile spikelets two to five, 

 concealed by the silvery-silky hairs. Outer glumes acute, many-nerved, but 

 the two lateral nerves much more prominent, especially as the flowering 

 advances, and the intermediate ones .becoming almost obliterated or visible 

 only towards the end of the glume ; second glume thin, with a prominent 

 keel produced into a short point ; third very thin, faintly three-nerved ; 

 terminal flowering glume very thin and hyaline, shortly bifid, with a very 

 fine awn scarcely exceeding the spikelet, or entire without any awn. Pedi- 

 cellate spikelets reduced to a single, narrow, many- nerved glume of 2| to 

 3 lines. Grain enclosed in the glumes but free from them. 



This erect-growing perennial grass is found all over Australia, but princi- 

 pally on the plains in the far interior. It generally grows on the richest soils, 

 though I have occasionally seen it growing on stony ridges. It will withstand 

 a phenomenal amount of dry weather in any situation where its strong wiry 

 roots can penetrate easily into the earth. I have seen it flowering in the interior 

 when many other grasses had withered up through drought. The white 

 woolly spikelets give the panicles a singular appearance when seen from a 

 distances, and they are often a feature in the landscape in a fairly good 

 season. Like many other species of the genus Andropogon, the base of the 

 stems on being bruised emits a strong aromatic perfume. During the early 

 summer, and sometimes in the autumn months, this grass makes a quantity 

 of succulent, leafy herbage which stock are fond of. When the grass 

 becomes old, however, the herbage is somewhat harsh, and then it is seldom 

 or never eaten unless other feed is scarce. I have had this species under 

 experimental cultivation, where it proved a very prolific grass, and the 

 herbage lost that harshness, even when it was old, that characterises it when 

 grown on uncultivated land. If cut before the flower-stems appear it should 

 make tolerably good hay. It appears to hold its own in pastures, but this 

 may be accounted for by the fact that under ordinary circumstances it pro- 

 duces a great amount of seed, which, when ripe, germinates readily when 

 there is any moisture in the soil during the spring of the year. The seeds 

 usually ripen during November, December, and January. 



Reference to plate. A, Showing the arrangement of the two spikes and sheathing bract. 

 I}, Showing the arrangement of the sessile and pedicellate spikelets on the rhachis (opened 

 out), c, The sessile and pedicellate spikelets. D, The sessile fertile spikelet showing the 

 four glumes and terminal aAvn (opened out). E, Grain, back and front views. All variously 

 magnified. 



