142 



Outer glumes membranous, many-nerved, awnless, as long as the 

 spikelet. 



Flowering glume broad, membranous, with 9, or in species not 

 Australian, more nerves, produced into more or less plumose awns. 



Palea two-nerved, as long as the glume or longer. 



Styles distinct. 



Grain enclosed in the glume and palea, free from them. 



Outer glumes 1 to 2 lines long, 5- to 9-nerved 1 . P. nigricans 



Outer glumes 3 lines long, 11- to 21-nerved 2. P. avenaceum 



1. Pappophorum nigricans, E.Br. 



Botanical name. Pappophorum, Latin (from the Greek) pappus, 

 thistle-down, hence in botany the pappus of composites; phorum, 

 Greek phoreo, I bear, in allusion to the downiness or woolliness of the 

 flowering glumes ; nigricans, Latin, blackish, the panicle being usually 

 of a dark colour. 



Synonym. Included with P. avenaceum under P. commune F.v.M., 

 by Mueller. 



Vernacular name. ce Purple-topped Grass." (Bailey.) 

 Where figured. Agricultural Gazette. 

 Botanical description. (B. Fl. vii, 600). 

 Stems from under 1 foot to 1^ feet high. 

 Leaves flat or convolute, usually narrow, sometimes quite setaceous, glabrous, 



pubescent or villous, the nodes glabrous or bearded. 



Panicle dense and spikelike, varying from ovoid-oblong and under | inch long, to 

 narrow cylindrical and 3 inches long, or broader, more branched, and 2 to 3 

 inches long, but always dense, pale or dark-coloured. 



Outer glumes varying from 1 to rather above 2 lines long, obtuse or acute, striate, 

 \vith. usually 7 or 9 nerves, but sometimes, especially on the lowest glume, 

 reduced to 5 and 2 of those short. 



Flowering glume not above 1 line long, more or less hairy outside, especially at the 

 base, with 9 fine spreading plumose awns varying from the length of the glume 

 to twice as long. Above the flowering glume and enclosed in it is usually a 

 smaller one with a male or rudimentary flower, and 1 or 2 still smaller empty 

 ones. 



Value as a fodder. A drought-resisting species, but not readily 

 eaten by stock, so far as my experience goes. 



" This is an erect grass, and, although wiry in appearance, f irrmshes 

 a good quantity of feed and bears close cropping ; there are many 

 forms of it, some of which would be worthy of cultivation as 

 ornamental grasses. " (Bailey.) 



Habitat and range. Found in all the Colonies except Tasmania ; 

 also in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. Found in most parts of 

 the Colony of New South Wales. Ascends Mount Kosciusko to 

 nearly 5,000 feet. 



2. Pappophorum avenaceum, Lindl. 



Botanical name. Avenaceum, Latin, oat-like, the panicle somewhat 

 resembling oats in appearance. 



Synonym. Included (with P. nigricans) under P. commune, F.v.M. 

 Where figured. Agricultural Gazette. 



