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1. Neurachne alopecuroides, R.Br. 



Botanical name. — Neurachne, from two Greek words,, neuron, a sinew 

 or a nerve, achne, chaff (in botany, glume), referring to the nerves on 

 the glumes ; alopecuroides, from Alopecurus, and oidos, like, denoting 

 similarity to the genus of grasses known as Alopecurus. 



Where figured. — Icones plantarum,t. 1,241; Agricultural Gazette. 



Botanical description (B. Fl., vii, 507). — 



Stems erect, 1 to \\ feet high, with the nodes usually hairy, otherwise glabrous. 

 Leaves rather short, narrow and rigid, mostly at the base of the stem, glabrous, 



except the dense cilia of the ligula, the upper ones few and small. 

 Spike ovoid or oblong, £ to 1 inch long. 

 Spikelets numerous, densely crowded all round the rhachis, but spreading and very 



readily falling away, a few at the base of the spike barren and almost reduced 



to single ciliate glumes, but more persistent, and forming an involucre at the 



base of the spike. Each spikelet about 3 lines long, with a tuft of hairs at the 



base. 

 Outer glume rather shorter, five- or seven-nerved, tapering to a fine point, with a few 



spreading hairs on the back. 

 Second glume many-nerved, tapering to a fine point, densely ciliate with long hairs 



on each side. 

 Third glume rather shorter, with few nerves, sprinkled with a few short hairs. 

 Fruiting glume and palea thin and hyaline. 



Value as a fodder. — Though coarse, it is a welcome fodder in summer, 

 as the young leaves push out as long as there is any moisture in reach 

 of their roots. (Tepper.) 



Fungus found on this grass. — Ustilago Tepperi, Lind. 



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

 Queensland. An interior species. 



Beference to Plate. — a, Portion of a panicle ; b, Spikelet showing relative size of 

 outer glume, which is very short, broad and truncate ; c, Spikelet dissected, showing 

 small outer glume, the 2nd and 3rd glumes, which are equal in size, and 3- or 5-nerved ; 

 also the fruiting glume. 



2. Neurachne Mitchelliana, Nees. 



Botanical name. — Mitchelliana, in honour of Sir Thomas Mitchell, 

 already alluded to. 



Vernacular name. — " Mulga Grass," so-called because it is often 

 found under Mulga (Acacia aneura). 



Where figured.— "Bailey ; Icones Plantarum, t. 1240 ; Agricultural 

 Gazette. 



Botanical description (B. Fl., vii, 508). — 



Stems from a knotty woolly branching base, erect, leafy to the inflorescence or 

 nearly so. 



Leaves flat, short, spreading, ciliate with a few long hairs, or the lower ones woolly- 

 hairy. 



Spike narrow — cylindrical, 1 to nearly 2 inches long. 



Spikelets about 2 lines long, with a tuft of hair at their base. 



Outer glume as long as the others, many -nerved, ciliate, marked in the centre on the 

 back with a tranverse callosity bearing long rigid horizontally spreading hairs, 

 with a broad cavity underneath it, very thin, almost hyaline, bordered by a 

 prominent nerve on each side. 



