1908 CLIH. GRAMINE^. [Eragrostis. 



curved, from 4 or 5 lines to lin. long and ^ line broad, with 12 to 60 or even 

 more flowers, the rhachis scarcely articulate. Flowering glumes closely 

 appressed, scarcely 1 line long, obtuse, hyaline at the end, the keel and a lateral 

 nerve on each side very prominent. Palea rather shorter, curved, persistent. 

 Styles slender. Grain ovate, flattened. — Maid. Gr. N.S.W. 178 ; Poa falcata,. 

 Gaudich. I.e. 

 Hab.: Mitchell district, Birch. 



19. E. stenostachya (slender spikelets), Steud. Syn. Glum. i. 279 ; Bentlu 

 Fl. Austr. vii. 650. Stems above 1ft. high, slender. Leaves very narrow, 

 glabrous. Panicle with few horizontally divaricate slender but rigid branches.. 

 Spikelets sessile or nearly so, scattered or clustered, horizontally divaricate or 

 reflexed, about 8 lines long, very narrow, acute, almost terete, glabrous, 8 to 

 10-flowered, the rhachis not articulate. Flowering glumes closely appressed^ 

 rather obtuse, thin almost hyaline, the nerves scarcely conspicuous. Palea 

 rather shorter, very narrow. — Poa stenostachya, R. Br. Prod. 181 . 



Hab.: Endeavour Eiver, Banks and Solander; a eingle specimen in Herb. Banks. 



20. Ii. bifaria, (2-ranked) var. australiana. Only a few portions of 

 the upper part of the stem seen. Nodes very shortly woolly. Leaf-sheath long,, 

 somewhat loose ; ligula a line of short hairs. Lamina very narrow, involute, 

 3 to 3fin. long (the upper leaf only seen). Peduncle or stem above the last- 

 leaf, slender, terete, smooth and glabrous, 4in. long. Spike or raceme 5in. long. 

 Spikelets bifarious, very closely set upon the rhachis, nearly or quite sessile, 

 erecto-patent, about 6 lines long, 16 to 20-flowered, slightly compressed. Glumes 

 closely distichous, the lower ones sharply keeled, f line long, somewhat acute, 

 with hyaline ciliate margins. Palea hyaline with thickened margin. Grain 

 ovoid, red, tubercul'ate, about J line long. 



Hab.: Walsh Biver; R. C. Burton. 



My few specimens point to a close relationship to the B. bifaria of Duthie's Podd. Grasses of 

 N. India, therefore I have placed it as an Australian variety of that species. 



78. ECTROSIA, R. Br. 

 (Turned outward.) 



Spikelets with 1 or nrely 2 fertile flowers and 2 or more male flowers or empty 

 glumes above them, in a terminal panicle, the rhachis of the spikelet articulate 

 above the two outer glumes. Outer empty glumes unawned, the 2nd rarely with 

 a short point ; glume of the perfect flower with a prominent point or short awn, 

 the upper glumes tapering into fiue straight awns. Styles distinct. Grain 

 enclosed in the thin or scarcely hardened glume and palea. 

 The genus is limited to Australia. 



Panicle compact and dense, with short erect branches. 

 Flowering glume 1 line long, thin, notched, with an awn nearly as long 



as itself ... . ... . . I. E. leporina. 



Panicle slender, loose, the short branches spreading. 

 Flowering glume about 1 line long, 3-nerved, tapering into a short point ; 

 glumes of the fruiting spikelet squarrose ...... 2. E. GuUiveri. 



1. H. leporina (appertaining to a hare, whence " Hare's-tail," from its soft 

 dense panicle), R. Br. Prod. 186 ; tSenth. Fl. Austr. vii. 633. Hare's-tail Grass. A 

 glabrous slender grass attaining 2ft. more, but sometimes smaller. Leaves very 

 narrow, ending in subulate points. Panicle narrow, dense, 3 to 6in. long, the 

 fine awns giving it much of the aspect of Triraphis mollis. Spikelets crowded 

 along the short erect branches, often purplish, the very short pedicels often 

 bearing a few long hairs. Outer glumes narrow, very acute, about 1 line long. 

 Flowering glume nearly as long, narrow, hyaline, 1-nerved, slightly notched, with 



