Census of the Grasses of New South Wales. 39 



spikes are often 8 inches long, and the spikelets taper into long terminal 

 straight awns, which are often 1 inch long. It is said, however, that these 

 awns are troublesome neither to the sheep, nor to their wool. This grass 

 produces a fair amount of seed which ripens in October and November. 



PHEAGMITES COMMUNIS, Trin. 



"The common reed." 



A very stout perennial grass, sometimes only 5 feet, at other times 12 feet 

 high, and is very abundant on the margins of rivers and in swamps. It is 

 not of much value from an agricultural point of view, for unless in very dry 

 seasons stock seldom eat it. It is a grass of much importance, however, for 

 binding the banks of rivers which are subject to periodical floods. Once its 

 underground extensively creeping steins get well established in the soil, 

 scarcely anything can move them. It is most easily propagated by division 

 of its roots. It also produces a great quantity of seed which ripens at 

 various times of the year. The aborigines at one time made their baskets 

 from the stems of this reed, as also their light spear-handles. This reed 

 when dry yields 4'7 per cent, of ash, which, according to Schulz-Fleeth 

 (TVatts, 'Diet., i., 413), contains in 100 parts : 



Potash (anhydrous) ... ... ... ... ... 8'6 



Lime... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5*9 



Magnesia T2 



Eerric oxide... ... ... ... ... ... ... 0'2 



Sulphuric acid (anhydride) 2 '8 



Silica 71-5 



Carbonic acid ... ... ... ... ... ... 6'6 



Phosphoric acid (P 2 O 5 ) 2'0 



Sodium chloride (common salt) ... ... ... ... 0'4 



POA CCESPITOSA, Eorst. 

 " Tussock poa." 



all 



distributed over the interior. It is an exceedingly variable grass. 

 the typical form, there are five well defined varieties, and, as might be 

 supposed, they vary considerably in the amount of herbage each one yields. 

 All of them, however, are excellent pasture grasses, and stock of all kinds 

 are remarkably fond of them. They are capital drought-resisting grasses, 

 and if not allowed to go to seed, will grow and remain green during a 

 greater part of summer. Nearly all of them produce an abundance of seed, 

 which ripens from November to March. There is a tall and luxuriant variety 

 (var. latifoUa), with leaves over a quarter of an inch broad, found in the 

 Illawarra District, and on the Muniong Mountains that is well worthy 

 of extensive cultivation. Besides yielding a large amount of rich succulent 

 herbage, it will, if cut before the flower-stems appear, make excellent hay. 



POA LEPIDA, E.v.M. 



" Scaly poa." 



An erect annual grass, growing from 2 to 3 inches to nearly a foot high, 

 and only found in the interior. It very much resembles that ubiquitous 

 introduced annual, Poa annua, and like that species is of very little value 

 for forage. This grass does not produce much seed : what little there is, 

 however, ripens in September and October. 



