158 



76. DIPLACHNE. 



Spikelets several- often many-flowered, linear, sessile, or very 

 shortly pedicellate, but distant along the rhachis of a simple spike or 

 of the elongated branches of a simple panicle, the rhachis of the 

 spikelet articulate and usually hairy under the flowering glumes. 



Outer empty glumes keeled, acute, unawned. 



Flowering glumes with a hyaline shortly two-lobed apex, the keel 

 produced into a short point or awn between or shortly below the lobes. 



Palea thin, prominently two-nerved. 



Styles short, distinct. 



Grain smooth, free. 



Spike slender, simple . . ... ... ... ... ... . . 1 . D. loliiformis. 



Spikes numerous in a simple panicle. Spikelets usually dark- 

 coloured, 4 lines long or rather more, with more than six 

 flowers, rhachis glabrous, or nearly so 3. D. fusca. 



1. Diplachne loliiformis, E.v.M. 



Botanical name. Diplachne Greek, diplous two-fold or double, 

 achne, chaff (glume), the flowering-glume being two-lobed; loliiformis, 

 Latin, having the general appearance of the grasses belonging to the 

 genus Lolium. 



Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 618). A slender apparently annual 

 erect grass, usually 6 to 8 inches, but a few specimens above 1 foot 

 high. 



Leaves chiefly at the base, short and narrow, usually sprinkled with a few long 

 hairs, the sheaths ciliate at the orifice, with a siiort jagged ligula. 



Spike slender and simple, 2 to 4 inches long, on a long peduncle. 



Spikelets sessile, rather distant, erect and appressed, turned somewhat to one side, 

 narrow, 3 to 4 lines long, six- to twelve-flowered, the rhachis hairy round the 

 flowering glumes. 



Flowering glumes about 1 line long, glabrous, three-nerved, the central nerve pro- 

 duced into a fine point or awn shortly exceeding the hyaline lobes. 



Value as a fodder. Quite a small grass, eaten by sheep, but not of 

 much value for forage. 



Habitat and range. Found in all the colonies except Tasmania and 

 Western Australia. An interior species. Found also in Asia. 



3. Diplachne fusca, Beauv. 



Botanical name. Fusca, Latin, brownish or tawny, referring to 

 the colour of the spikelets. 



Where figured. Agricultural Gazette. 



Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 619). A glabrous erect grass of 

 several feet. 



Leaves narrow, convolute when dry, with long loose sheaths, the ligula jagged. 

 Panicle narrow, 6 inches to 1 foot long, with erect branches, the lower ones long. 

 Spikelets sessile or nearly so, rather distant, erect, linear, six- to ten-flowered, about 



4 lines long or rather more and straw-coloured, or longer and dark, the rhachis 



glabrous or slightly hairy under each glume. 

 Flowering glumes nearly 2 lines long, shortly ciliate on the margins in the lower part, 



prominently three-nerved, the keel produced into a short point between or just 



below the short hyaline terminal lobes. 

 Keels of the palea shortly ciliate. 



