Order GRAMINE^E. 



11. DANTHONIA PAUCIFLORA. 



FEW FLOWERED OAT GRASS. 



(Platt XXXVI. B.) 



DANTHONIA PAUCIFLORA, R. Brown. Hook, fil, Fl. Tasm. II., 121 t. 

 162. DANTHONIA PAUCIFLORA, R. Brown. Benth. Flora Australiensis, 

 VIL, 596. 



A SMALL alpine pasture grass, found at 2000 5000 feet altitude. 

 Flowers December January. Branches prostrate, creeping, forming 

 dense tufts of fine rigid leaves. Culms 3 6 inches high. Leaves 

 glabrous, i 3 inches long, rigid, involute, filiform, setaceous ; ligule o, 

 or with a few hairs on each side of the sheath. Panicle ovoid, of few 

 shortly pedicillate spikelets, sometimes reduced to i or 2. Spikelets 

 1-inch long, 2 4-flowered. Empty glumes longer than the spikelets, 

 7 -nerved. Flowering glumes glabrous, shortly 2-fid at top, with a short 

 central awn, Q-nerved, fringed on the margins with hairs. Palea bifid at 

 top, pedicels with short tufts of hairs. Scales broadest at top, and 

 crowned with cilia. Grain ovate. DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES : AUS- 

 TRALIA, TASMANIA, NEW ZEALAND. 



This very small repi'esentative of the Genus was recently detected in a collection 

 from Mt. St. Bathan's, Otago, forwarded by W. Petrie. Its small rigid leaves do 

 not recommend it as a pasture grass, yet from its evident perennial habit, it may 

 prove valuable on those higher altitudes where few grasses can exist. DISTRIBU- 

 TION IN NEW ZEALAND : SOUTH ISLAND : MOUNT ST. BATHAN'S, 

 OTAGO, (forming a beautiful sward) W. Petrie. 



Reference to Plate XXXVI. B. : Fig. 1. Plant. 2. Spikelet. 3. Floret. 

 4. Nervation of empty glumes. 5. Nervation of flowering glume. G. Nervation 

 of Palea. 7. Scales. 8. Grain. 



