66 GRAMINEAE. 26. Stipa. 



3-nerved, the 2nd 12-14 mm. long, sub-5-nerved ; flowering glume broad, 4-6 mm. long, 

 villous with golden-brown hairs ; palea with similar hairs on the back ; callus 2\ mm. long ; 

 awn 5-8 cm. long, twice bent, distinctly pubescent below the bends. 



Most parts of the State. Aug.-Dec. The type, which came from Western Victoria, 

 has 2 distinct hairy lobes at the summit of the flowering glume, but in our northern speci- 

 mens these lobes are often almost obsolete. Very near 8. flavescens, from which it differs 

 in the longer and colored outer glumes, the much longer awn, the looser panicle, and the 

 usually inland habitat. 



Var. dodrantaria. Flowering glume narrower ; awn 6-7 cm. long, distinctly pubescent 

 or subplumose almost to the summit. 



Near Birksgate Range. 



9. S. flavescens, Labill. Stems slender, with pubescent nodes ; leases inrolled, filiform, 

 glabrous or the lower ones scabrous with pubescent sheaths ; ligule short, ciliolate ; panicle 

 narrow, dense ; outer glumes rather broad, unequal, yellowish, acute, the 1st about 12 

 mm. long, prominently 3-nerved, the 2nd 9 mm. long, 5-nerved ; flowering glume 5-6 mm. 

 long, brown, villous, with 2 minute glabrous lobes at summit ; awn 4-5 cm. long, slender, 

 twice bent. 



Sea coasts. Oct. -Dec. 



10. S. pubescens R. Br. Variable grass ; stems rather stout, with pubescent nodes ; 

 leaves glabrous or pubescent, subulate, with a short ciliate ligule ; panicle rather loose ; 

 outer glumes usually green and purplish, prominently nerved, one or the other more or less 

 truncate and toothed at the hyaline summit, often with 1 long central tooth ; 1st glume 

 10-16 mm. long, 3-nerved ; 2nd glume 8-12 mm. long, sub 5-nerved ; flowering glume 

 rather broad, 5 mm. long, lobeless or almost so, villous with whitish hairs ; palea hairy 

 or glabrous on back ; callus 2 mm. long ; awn 4-5| cm. long, twice bent, pubescent. — 

 S. aristigluwis, F. \. M. 



From Adelaide northwards to the Flinders Range ; South-East. Sept. -Dec. 



Var. semiglabra, Reader. Lower leaves rather hairy ; 1st glume, 20-25 mm. long ; 

 2nd, 16-20 mm. long ; flowering glume, 9 mm. long ; scantily villous ; callus 3 mm. ; awn 

 7-9 cm. long, twice bent above the middle, comparatively stout. 



Penola. 



Var. comosa. Outer glumes as in the type, but sometimes longer ; flowering glumes 

 broad, about 4 mm. long, silky villous, with a tuft of white hairs at the summit about as 

 long as the flowering glume ; awn 2|-4 cm. long ; leafblades usually scabrous with short 

 spreading hairs. 



Marino ; Jamestown ; Melrose ; Moolooloo. 



11. S. horrifolia, J. M. Black. Stems erect, rigid ; leaf blades ribbed, pubescent with 

 short spreading hairs ; blades at first flat, finally subulate and rigid ; lower sheath softly 

 villous ; ligule short, ciliate ; uppermost sheath inflated and usually embracing the base 

 of the somewhat loose panicle, 15-30 cm. long ; outer glumes purplish, truncate, 1-3- 

 toothed at summit, the 1st 8-10 mm. long, 3-nerved, the 2nd a little shorter, 5-nerved ; 

 flowering glume entire, 3-4 mm. long, narrow, with white hairs ; awn 4-7 cm. long, sub- 

 plumose below the bend, pubescent above. 



From Pinnaroo westward to the Nullarbor Plain. Oct.-Jan. Very near S. Lvehmannii, 

 Reader, from Western Victoria, but the latter is a stouter and taller grass, with longer 

 and more densely hairy leaves. It may be, however, that ours is a dry-country form, 

 and, if so, Reader's name has priority. 



Plate 2. — 1, outer glumes; 2, flowering glume, palea and awn; 3, lodicules, pistil 

 and stamens ; 4, summit of leafsheaf ; 5, anterior face of grain, showing embryo (e) ; 

 6, posterior face, showing linear hilum (h). 



12. S. semibarbata, R. Br. A tall stout grass, sometimes l-l|m. high ; nodes pubescent ; 

 upper leaves subulate ; orifice of sheath bearded ; ligule short, ciliate ; panicle long, 

 rather contracted ; outer glumes subequal, whitish, acute or torn at summit, the 1st 

 15-20 mm. long, 3-nerved, the 2nd 12-17 mm. long, 3-5 nerved ; flowering glume narrow, 

 *>-6 mm. long, with whitish hairs, lobeless ; callus 3 mm. long ; awn 5-9 cm. long, twice 

 bent, more or less plumose in lower half. 



Southern districts ; Eyre Peninsula ; South -East. Sept. -Dec. 



13. S. scabra, Lindl. Common Spear grass. Stems erect, usually slender, variable in 

 height, with glabrous nodes ; leaf blades filiform, sometimes scabrous with short hairs ; 

 ligule short, ciliolate, usually produced into 1 or 2 bearded lobes or auricles decurrent 

 along the margin of the sheath ; panicle unilateral, rather narrow, but very loose when in 

 flower, sometimes embraced at base by the dilated sheath of the uppermost leaf ; outer 

 glumes subequal, acute, hyaline, turning purple, the 1st 11-12 mm. long, sub-3-nerved, 

 the 2nd 9-10 mm. long, sub-5-nerved ; flowering glume narrow, pubescent, 3-4 mm. long, 

 lobeless or with 2 very minute glabrous lobes ; callus 1 -1 \ mm. long ; awn 4^-8 cm. long 

 very slender and hairlike, pubescent under lens. 



Common in almost all parts of the State. Aug.-Dec. 



