1874 CLIII. GRAMINEiB. [Aristida. 



flowering glume scarcely smaller than in A. hygrometrica but the awn much 

 finer, about IJin. below the branching, the branches If to 2in. long. — Trin. and 

 Rupr. Gram. Stlp. 161 ; F. v. M. Fragm. viii. Ill ; Maid. Gr. N.S.W. 106. 

 Hab.: Islands of the Gulf of Carpentaria, R. Brown ; Gilbert Biver, Sullivan. 



3. A. arenaria (a plant of sandy land), Oaudich. in Freyc. Voy. Bot. 407 ; 

 Benth. Fl. Austr. vii. 561. Very near A. stipoides and reduced to that species by 

 F. V. Mueller, Fragm. viii. Ill, but a smaller plant, the stems usually not above 

 6in. below the inflorescence, rarely slender leafy and nearly 1ft. long. Leaves 

 much finer, almost filiform. Panicle narrow and spikelike, scarcely branched or 

 more frequently reduced to a simple raceme, 3 to 4in. long without the awns. 

 Outer glumes very narrow and fine-pointed, usually dark coloured, the lowest 

 nearly fin. long, the 2nd fin.; flowering glume rather smaller than in A. stipoides, 

 the awn under lin. and usually f to fin. below the branching, the branches very 

 fine, varying from 1 to 3in.— Trin. and Rupr. Gram. Stip. 163; Maiden Ag. 

 Gaz. N.S.W. X. PL; Arthratherum arenarium, Nees in PI. Preiss. ii. 98 ; Aristida 

 contorta, F. v. M. in Trans. Vict. Inst. 1855, 44. 



Hab.: King's Creek, Bowman ; Brisbane River and other southern localities. 



4. A. Behriana (after Dr. H. Behr), F. v. M. in Trans. Vict Inst. 1855, 44; 

 Benth. Fl. Austr. vii. 562. Stems ascending, usually under 1ft. below the 

 inflorescence. Leaves subulate at the end, somewhat dilated at the base and the 

 upper sheaths often rather broad and loose. Panicle dense, 2 to 3in. long and 

 almost as broad, the spikelets nearly sessile. Outer glumes nearly equal, the 

 lowest fine-pointed, the 2nd usually rather longer than the flowering glume. 

 Flowering glume about Jin. long ; with 3 nearly equal sessile awns fine and 

 above lin. sometimes nearly 2in. long. 



Hab.: Eeoorded for Queensland by F. v. M. 



5. A> leptopoda (pedicels slender), B«»t/». Fl. Austr. vii. 562. Stems 

 rather stout, from scarcely 6in. to 2ft. high. Leaves long and subulate, with 

 rather broad loose sheaths. Panicle very loose. 6in. to 1ft. long, with numerous 

 long rigidly filiform branches at first erect, at length spreading horizontally, 

 bearing few spikelets on filiform pedicels. Outer glumes unequal, with long 

 points, the longest usually about as long as the flowering glume. Flowering 

 glume 6 to 8 lines long, on a very short scarcely ciliate stipes, with 3 nearly 

 equal sessile awns ^ to lin. long. Palea small and rigid. 



Hab.: Brisbane Biver, Bailey ; Darling Downs, Leichhardt ; Peak Downs, Biirkitt ; Kennedy 

 District, Daintree. 



This and the two following species are known by the name of " 3-awned Spear Grass." 



6. A. vagans (spreading), Cav. Ic. v. 45, t. 471 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vii. 562. 

 Stems slender, erect and 1 to 2ft, high, or diffuse and much branched. Leaves 

 slender, almost filiform, usually short. Panicle 3 to 6in. long, at first narrow, at 

 length branching and pyramidal, the pedicels very short. Outer glumes usually 

 dark-coloured, 2 to 3 lines long, the 2nd longer than the lowest, both with 1 

 prominent nerve. Flowering glume always longer than the outer ones and often 

 twice as long. Awns sessile, about 4 lines long. Palea very short. — R. Br. Prod. 

 173 ; F. V. M. Fragm. viii. Ill; Maiden Ag. Gaz. N.S.W. xi. PL; A. ramosa, Sieb. 

 Agrostoth. n. 55 ; A . parviflora, Steud, Syn. Glum. i. 140 (from the char, given). 



Hab.: Brisbane Biver, Moreton Bay, P. v. Mtieller; Bookhampton, O'Shanesy; Condamine 

 Uartmann. 

 Var. gradllima. Stems long, slender and branching ; panicle filiforno;. 

 Hab.: Eockhampton, O'Shanesy. 



Var. compacta. JPaniole short and compact, but the spikelets and awns quite of A. vagans, 

 Hab. : Warwick, Beckler, Nernst. 



