28 Australian Grasses. 



HEMARTHRIA, E. 3r. 



(Half -jointed ; referring to the spike.) 



SPIKELETS in pairs, in the alternate notches of a simple spike, one sessile 

 and half embedded in a cavity of the scarcely- articulate rhachis with one 

 hermaphrodite flower, the other on a closely-appressed and often adnate 

 pedicel reduced to two or three empty glumes, the spikes single on each 

 peduncle above a sheathing bract and often flattened. Glumes in the sessile 

 spikelet four, the outer one appressed and covering the cavity of the rhachis, 

 the second thinner and concave or keeled, the third and fourth and the palea 

 in the fourth thin and hyaline. Styles distinct. Grain enclosed in the 

 glumes, but free from them. 



Hemarthria compressa, E. Br. (Compressed spikes.) " Mat-grass." 

 Stems decumbent or creeping at the base, rather rigid, ascending to 1 foot 

 or rather more, slightly branched. Leaves narrow, glabrous, or the lower 

 ones sprinkled with a few long hairs. Spikes solitary on the branches or 

 nearly so, more or less compressed, rigid, 3 to 5 inches long, often 1^ lines 

 broad. Spikelets all closely appressed, 3 to 3^ lines long. Outer glume 

 many-nerved, tapering into a very variable point, sometimes very short and 

 straight, especially in the sessile spikelet, sometimes elongated and fine, or 

 minutely hooked at the extremity; or in southern specimens, especially to- 

 wards the end of the spike, terminating in a rather long inflexed rigid hook. 

 In the pedicellate spikelet the point of the outer glume is often longer, finer, 

 and straight, but occasionally that also is hooked, and more rarely the 

 second glume ends in a small hook. Grain enclosed in the glumes of the 

 sessile spikelet, but free from them. The hook at the end of the glumes, upon 

 which Dr. Brown separated his H. uncinata from the H. compressa is 

 exceedingly variable. In the southern specimens generally it is long and 

 very rigid on some of the glumes, at least towards the upper end of the 

 spike; most of the northern specimens have all the outer glumes fine-pointed 

 without hooks. 



This grass is found in all the Australian colonies, but principally in the 

 coastal districts, and in some places it is very plentiful. It is generally found 

 growing on the margins of swamps, on marsh lands, and on the banks of rivers 

 or creeks, which its underground stems and roots assist in binding, and thus 

 in a measure prevent injury from floods or heavy rains. It may also be 

 found growing down near the brink of the ocean, above high-water mark on 

 tidal rivers, and sometimes on what may be called saline land. Under some 

 circumstances its stems lengthen out to 5 or 6 feet, and the branches often 

 ascend to 2 or more feet. On wet undrained soils it forms a beautiful green 

 sward during the summer months, and often when the surrounding vegetation 



