54 Australian Grasses. 



TRIRAPHIS,.^. Br. 



(Referring to the needle-like awns of the flowering glumes.) 



SPIKELETS several-flowered, in a terminal panicle, the rhachis of the spikelet 

 articulate above each glume, the terminal glume usually empty or with a 

 male flower. Outer empty glumes unawned, entire or the second occasionally 

 notched with a short point in the notch. Flowering glumes with three narrow 

 lobes tapering into straight awns, the central occasionally with a short lobe 

 or point on each side, or all three reduced to small teeth. Palea narrow. 

 Styles distinct. G-rain enclosed in the thin or coriaceous glume and palea, 

 but free from them. 



Triraphis mollis, E. Br. (From the soft appearance of the panicle.) 

 "Purple Heads." A glabrous rather slender erect grass attaining 2 feet, 

 but sometimes much smaller. Leaves long and narrow, ending in fine 

 points. Panicle narrow, dense, 6 to 10 inches long, with a soft look owing 

 to the slender awns and hairs of the glumes. Spikelets crowded on the 

 short erect branches, narrow, about i inch long without the awns, with eight 

 to ten, or even more, flowers. Glumes narrow, membranous, about 1| lines 

 long, the two outer empty ones glabrous, entire, or the second with a short 

 tooth on each side of the point. Flowering glumes sprinkled with a few long 

 hairs, the central capillary awn 3 to 4 lines long, with a pointed lobe or short 

 awn on each side, the lateral awns rather shorter. Palea narrow. Grain 

 enclosed in the thin or coriaceous glume and palea, but free from them. 



This perennial grass is found all over Australia, but principally in the arid 

 interior. In the northern portion of the continent, however, it is found at a 

 few stations near the coast, but so far as I am aware it is not very plentiful. 

 In many parts of the interior it grows fairly abundantly, particularly on good 

 soils. It is a capital drought-resisting species, and during the early summer 

 months yields a fair amount of good herbage, of which sheep and other 

 herbivora are very fond. After the flower panicles have developed, however, 

 the stems become harsh and tough, then stock will seldom or never eat the 

 grass whilst other herbage is plentiful. It is not a species that I would 

 recommend for cultivation in pastures, though it is well worth conservation 

 along with other grasses. When in floAver this grass is easily recognised, as 

 the panicles often assume a purplish colour, which gives the plant a very 

 ornamental appearance. It might be introduced into gardens with good 

 effect in fact, there are many less ornamental grasses cultivated in gardens. 

 It produces an abundance of seed, which usually ripens in November and 

 December. There is a variety (var. Immilis) of this grass which I have 

 received on several occasions for identification ; it rarely exceeds 6 inches 

 in height, and has a flower panicle of only 2 or 3 inches in length. It is 

 a somewhat uncommon grass, and generally found growing on sandy soils in 

 the interior, but it is not of much value for forage. This delicate little grass 

 might be introduced into gardens, where its charming purple panicles would 

 be sure to be admired. The seeds of this variety usually ripen in October 

 and November. 



There is a grass which grows in the northern portion of the continent, and 

 is known to botanists as Ectrosia leporina, E. Br., that is often mistaken for 

 Triraphis mollis, E-. Br., and vice versa. To the casual eye the purple 

 panicles of both these grasses are similar. The dissectional details of the 

 inflorescence, however, are totally distinct, as may be inferred from the 

 names these grasses have received. 



Reference to plate. A, Spikelet. B, Floret, c, Flowering glume flattened out, showing 

 the arrangement and relative size of the awns. D, G-rain, back and front views. All 

 variously magnified. 



