132 



distichous like those of that genus, but all round the axis ; Neesii, in 

 honour of Christian Gottfried Nees von Esenbeck, the celebrated 

 German botanist, who specialised on grasses as well as other plants. 



Synonym. — Danthonia nervosa, Hook., in Mueller's Census. 



Where figured. — Hooker, Fl. Tasmania (as D. Archeri) ; Agricultural 

 Gazette. 



Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 589). — A glabrous erect grass of 

 2 or 3 feet, or even taller in marshy situations. 



Leaves very narrow in the smaller specimens, broader in the larger ones, with rather 



broad loose sheaths. 

 Panicle 6 to 10 inches long, loose and narrow. 

 Spikelels all pedicellate on capillary branches, usually about | inch long without the 



awns, five- to ten-flowered. 

 Outer glumes varying from 2 to 4 lines long. 

 Flowering glumes rather longer, the five nerves reaching to the end, and when old 



often splitting at the apex between the nerves, rather rigid and scabrous-rugose 



when in fruit. 



Value as a fodder. — A tall bulky grass, nutritious and palatable to 

 stock, but not very abundant. 



Habitat and range. — Such as margins of claypans, marshes, &c, 

 with fresh water. It occurs in all the Colonies, except Queensland, in 

 moist localities, and it is found over the greater part of New South 

 Wales. 



63. ANISOPOGON. 



Spikelets one-flowered, large, in a loose but scarcely branched 

 panicle, the rhachis of the spikelet articulate above the two outer 

 glumes and produced into a slender bristle above the flower, occasion- 

 ally bearing an imperfect spikelet. 



Glumes three, the two outer herbaceous ; flowering glume raised 

 on a short stipes (the rhachis of the spikelet), narrow, convolute, hard, 

 with three rigid awns between two small hyaline terminal lobes, the 

 central awn long, twisted and bent. 



Palea hard, ending in a loug, rigid two-nerved point. 



Styles distinct. 



Ovary crowned by a tuft of hairs. 



1. Anisopogon avenaceus, R.Br. 



Botanical name. — Anisopogon — Greek, anisos unequal, pogon a beard, 

 in allusion to the unequal size of the awns of this grass ; avenaceus, 

 Latin adjective, signifying oat-like. 



Vernacular name. — Sometimes called " Oat-grass," from the general 

 resemblance of its inflorescence to that of oats. 



Where figured. — Trinius, as Danthonia anisopogon ; Agricultural 

 Gazette. 



Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 590). — An erect glabrous grass of 

 2 or 3 feet, branching at the base only. 



Leaves convolute, terminating in subulate points. 



Ligula very short, truncate, often ciliate. 



Panicle long, the large spikelets hanging from slender pedicels. 



