177 



Glumes rather broad, very thin, closely distichous, enveloped at the base in woolly 



hairs. 

 Palea nearly as long, the keels ciliate with soft hairs near the base. 

 Stamens three, with rather long anthers. 

 Grain globular. 



Value as a fodder. — Not known. 



Habitat and range. — Found in South Australia, Victoria, and New 

 South Wales. An interior species. 



15. Eragrostis eriopoda, Benth. 



Botanical name. — Eriopoda — Greek, erios, wool; pous, podos, a foot, 

 the stems being densely woolly at the base. 

 Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 648). — 



Stems 1 to 1£ feet high, somewhat bulbous and densely woolly at the base. 



Leaves very narrow, short, the lower sheaths pubescent or hirsute. 



Panicle in some specimens reduced to an interrupted spike, in others divided into 



spreading branches. 

 Spihelets nearly sessile, scattered or in pairs, very flat, 3 to 9 lines long, above 1 line 



broad, with ten to thirty or more flowers. 

 Glumes closely distichous but rather spreading, obtuse, almost hyaline, with a dark 



green nerve on each side, glabrous. 

 Palea as long. 

 Stamens two only in all the flowers examined, with rather large anthers. 



Value as a fodder. — Not known. 



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

 Victoria. An interior species. 



16. Eragrostis chsetophylla, Steud. 



Botanical name. — Chsetophylla — Greek, clisete, a bristle ; phylla, 

 leaves, the leaves being bristle-like. 

 Synonym. — E. setifolia, Nees. 

 Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 648).- — 



Stems from a shortly- thickened, almost bulbous, slightly woolly -hairy base densely 

 tufted, slender but rigid, 6 inches to 1 foot high, often leafy to the inflorescence. 



Leaves very narrow, convolute or setaceous, glabrous. 



Panicle narrow, 1^- to 3 inches long, shortly branched. 



Spihelets usually rather numerous, shortly pedicellate, scattered or crowded, flat and 

 thin, 2 to 4 or rarely 6 lines long, 1 to 1| lines broad, six- to thirty-flowered. 



Glumes closely distichous or rather loose, £ line long, obtuse or almost acute, hyaline 

 or purplish, the lateral nerve prominent on each side at the base. 



Palea nearly as long, glabrous. 



Stamens three. 



Grain small, ovoid-oblong. 



Value as a fodder. — Inferior, because of its wiry nature. At the 

 same time, it provides useful feed when quite young. 



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

 An interior species. 



17. Eragrostis lacunaria, F.v.M. 



Botanical name. — Lacunaria — Latin, lacuna, any little hole or hollow 

 place, perhaps in reference to the localities in which the grass was 

 originally found. 



M 



