18 Australian Grasses. 



CHLORIS, Linn. 



(From chloros, green, alluding to the colour of the herbage.) 



SPIKELETS one-flowered, awned, singly sessile in two rows on one side of 

 simple spikes, either solitary or digitate at the end of the peduncle, the 

 rhachis of the spikelet articulate immediately above the outer glumes. 

 Outer empty glumes two, keeled, persistent, awnless. Flowering glume pro- 

 duced into a fine straight awn, entire or with a tooth lobe or short awn on 

 each side of the terminal awn. Palea folded or with two prominent nerves. 

 [Rhachis of the spikelet produced behind the palea, and bearing one or more 

 empty glumes, all awned, and usually with their ends on a level with that of 

 the flowering glume. 



Chloris acicnlaris, Lindl. (Eef erring to the needle-like spikelets.) 

 "Umbrella," or "Spider Grass." A glabrous erect grass of 1 foot to 2 feet. 

 Leaves flat, the lower sheaths broad and flattened. Spikes 6 to 12 or even 

 more, at first erect but at length horizontally spreading as in C. divaricata, 

 3 to 4 inches long, slender and often purplish. Spikelets rather distant. 

 Outer glumes narrow, keeled, tapering to fine points, the lowest 1^ to 2 lines, 

 the second 3 lines long. Flowering glume about 2 lines, narrow, three- 

 nerved, tapering into. an awn of about | an inch, with sometimes, but not 

 always, a short point on each side at the base. Palea long, narrow, promi- 

 nently two-nerved. Terminal empty glume with an awn sometimes as long 

 as that of the flowering glume, but usually shorter. 



This perennial grass is found in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, 

 South and West Australia, but principally in the interior of those colonies, 

 and generally growing on rather sandy or light, loamy soils, though I have 

 occasionally seen it growing on land of a stiff, loamy nature. Its strong 

 fibrous roots penetrate the earth to a great depth, which enable it to with- 

 stand a protracted drought. During the summer months, in an ordinary 

 season, the " umbrella grass " yields a great amount of succulent herbage, of 

 which herbivora of all kinds are fond. Owing to its free-seeding qualities, 

 and the easy germination of its seeds under ordinary circumstances, it is 

 fairly plentiful in many parts of the continent. This grass is well worth 

 conservation, and even cultivation, on the arid central plains of this con- 

 tinent, for pastoralists could nearly always depend upon some herbage from 

 it for their flocks even during adverse times of drought and heat. There 

 would be no difficulty in collecting any quantity of the seed of the " um- 

 ibrella " grass from a reserved area, for dissemination in those dry parts of 

 the country where it may not already be growing, or for redissernination 

 where the plant may have died out through over-stocking. A few smart 

 iboys could collect enough seed in one day to sow several acres. Judging 

 from the succulent herbage this grass yields in an ordinary season, I should 

 think it would pay to cultivate for hay in the interior ; at any rate, it is well 

 worth a trial. 



The seeds of this grass usually ripen in November and December. 



Reference to plate. A, Showing the arrangement of tlie spikelets on tlie rliachis. B, A 

 epikelet. c, Flowering glume and palea. D, Grain, back and front views. All variously 

 magnified. 



