i 
__ Feb. 1, 1904 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GRASSES. 
By J. G. O. Tepper, F.L.S., F.S.Sc., &c. 
(Continued.) 
POACEZ. 
The Poaceew are distinguished almost 
universally (according to Bentham) by the 
entire absence of a joint or articulation 
below the lower empty glumes, which, 
therefore, remain attached to the footstalk, 
~ while the seedbearing ones alone fall off. 
A second character, not quite so persistent, 
is that the staminate or male flower is al- 
ways above the pistillate or female when 
the ‘two exist on the same pedicel, whichis 
not always the case. To this division be- 
long the most important cereals furnishing 
food for mankind, such as wheat, barley, 
vats, rye, millet, rice, &c. It is divided 
into eight tribes by Bentham (Journal 
Linn. Soc., vol. xix., 75), viz., Phalaride, 
Agrostide, Isachnee, Avenex, Chloridex, 
¥Festucex, Horde, and Bambuse, most of 
which have ; representatives. among our 
indigenous grasses. 
Phalaris minor, L., an annual and a close 
relation to the well-known Canary-seed 
Grass, has been introduced from Southern 
Europe, and represents the first of the 
above tribes. It is often found along 
watercourses, in fields and gardens, and is 
easily recognisable by its broad, long 
deaves, stiff, frequently geniculated or 
knee-joined stem, and its short, cylindrical, 
very dense ear or head: it is a very good 
admixture with the hay. 
Ehrharta stipoides, Labillardiere, occurs 
along all our watercourses and gullies; also 
an most undisturbed fields with fairly loose 
and rich soil, but not in stiff red clays, and 
is one of our best fodder grasses, bearing 
close feeding within half an inch of the 
ground, and yet covering it almost entirely. 
_If fed or cut close it forms short rhizomes, 
bearing rather broad soft leaves from one 
to three inches, but if allowed to grow 
rank it forms dense tufts, gradually in- 
creasing in size, and the leaves attain -a 
“dength of eight to twelve inches or more. 
«.3 they die successively the grass assumes 
2 dried up, unsightly form, totally unlike 
atself in a vigorous state. If properly 
treated, after planting the stools rather 
closely, it proves a splendid lawn grass, far 
‘superior to those usually employed for the 
purpose, and survives the fierce heat of 
summer easily with very moderate water- 
ing. The stems are very slender, erect or 
procumbent, and from one to two feet high. 
“The head forms a loose panicle, with dis- 
4ant, erect branches, is from three to six 
inches long, and very inconspicuous com- 
pared with most others. The spikelets. 
which are under half an inch, have six 
glumes, of which the outer persistent ones 
are short, the next pair long, narrow, and 
- bearing awns, while the last are shorter and 
without awns. The single flower on each 
spikelet has four or two stamens, and is.at 
the summit of the spikelet. Under. cul- 
tivation the grass produces its flowers and 
seed. almost all the year round, the prin- 
cipal season being during summer. 
This species extends through all Aus- 
tralia and Tasmania to New Zealand, tho 
other five Australian species being much 
more restricted, 
Avistida Behriana, F. vy. M., extends over 
the greater part of subtropical Australia, 
but not to Western Australia and Tas- 
mania. It, and the five other species re- 
corded for the province, is not now by any 
means conspicuous by its abundance, as it 
also has been largely replaced by the more 
prolific intruder Festuca bromoides, the 
Silver Grass, an annual which is now the 
most abundant grass on our fields and hill- 
sides. The main distinction of the genus 
is the three-branched awn of the spikelets, 
and that of the species, that the compara- 
tively short panicle (or head) is broad and 
dense, and its awns long. ‘The leaves are 
narrow, usually flat at the base, but awn- 
like beyond, the upper sheath being rather 
broad and loose. The stem is usually un- 
der twelve inches, and the panicle two ‘to 
three, and, according to Bentham, almost 
as wide. It is a very good fodder grass, 
but appears to be mostly of annual dura- 
tion. Baron F. y. Mueller records it as 
occurring from St. Vincent’s Gulf to the 
Murray and Lake Hindmarsh ; the writer 
collected it about Ardrossan, Yorke’s 
Peninsula. One species, A. hygrometrica, 
R. Br., is peculiar to North Australia, two 
others to New South Wales and Queens- 
land, while the six South Australian ones 
are also found in the same colonies, and 
partly in Victoria. 
Stipa elegantissima, Labill., introduces 
the true speargrasses, and is one of the 
handsomest, as the name implies, but not 
very important, as it only can subsist in 
the mallee and other scrublands, under 
the shelter of dense prickly shrubs, such 
as Styphelia patula, Hakea rugosa, &c., 
which effectively protect the delicate, truly 
ornamental grass against its enemies, the 
sheep and cattle. It is perennial, and 
when young forms small tufts, with soft, 
long, very narrow, and pointed leaves. The 
slender stems, branching and re-branching 
at every knot (or node) where also a nar- 
row leaf, two or three inches in length, is 
placed—soon climb to the summit of the 
shrub, attaining a height of two to five feet, 
and develop there during August and Sep- 
tember, their very loose panicles. These 
are several inches long, and composed of 
very numerous long and slender branches, 
densely beset with long, white, feather- 
like hairs. The short spikelets consist of 
three glumes, are brown, and bear a long 
awn, which also !s beset with long but dis- 
tant sete. The fruit resembles (as in all 
the species) a spear (hence the popular 
name), and is composed of the upper glume 
enclosing the seed, about one-third of an 
inch long, and forms the sharply-pointed 
and barbed head, while the long awn, 
spirally-twisted part of its length, and bent 
when dry, forms the shaft. 
The “Elegant Speargrass” occurs over all 
Australia, but is absent in Tasmania, al- 
thought it occurs at Kangaroo Island, from 
the seacoast at Queenscliffe to the higher 
scrublands. 
Stipa flavescens, Labill., is a much 
coarser erect grass, also perennial, and 
two to three feet high when in fruit. The 
leaves are not very long, narrow, usually 
flat at base, but the rest rolled up, more 
or less rigid, and usually smooth. © The 
_records a short time ago. 
7 
oe Ss a ree a en 
panicle is narrow, dense, and six to twelve 
long when iully developed. ‘The fruiting 
inner glume (chaff) is seated upon a long 
silk-hairy stalklet, and forms two teeth at 
the base of the awn, which is also hairy. 
‘The “Yellowish Speargrass,” named from 
the color of its panicle, has been collected 
by the writer on Yorke’s Peninsula, and is 
recorded from the neighborhood of Ade- 
laide (Hallett’s Cove?) and Fowler’s Bay. 
Tt extends from Western Australia to New 
“South Wales and Tasmania, but not in 
Queensland. 
Stipa teretifolia, Steudel, is allied to 
last, the stems forming erect stiff tufts up 
to two feet high; the slender leaves are 
terete, or needle-like, but not very stiff, 
and as long or longer than the stems. The _ 
panicles are narrower, and the awns much 
‘shorter than those of the last species. ~It 
occurs at Kangaroo Island (probably also 
on Yorke’s Peninsula), in Western Aus- 
tralia, Victoria, and Tasmarfia. 
Stipa setacea, R. Br., is a tufted grass, 
with short,-fine leaves and a slender stem, 
from one to two feet high. The ligula, or 
appendages tothe leafsheath where the leaf 
is attached, are lengthened, and not bristly. 
\ The fruiting glume is much shorter than 
the outer ones, and velvet-hairy (hence the 
name). The loose panicle is up to ten 
inches Jong, and its awns toabove two. It 
is recorded from Port Augusta, Crystal 
Brook, and the Murray, and extends over 
all Australia, and to Tasmania. 
(To be continued.) 
RED SPIDER. 
This is a pretty constant annual visitor 
in some vineries at this season. It may 
be kept in check if caught in time by 
sponging with soap and water; pure hot 
water syringed on the foliage without 
touching the fruit is a more drastic mea- _ 
sure, worth pursuing in bad cases. As a 
preventive, the hot water pipes should be 
painted from time to time with a mixture 
of sulphur, soft soap, soot, and water. It 
is most readily kept at bay in the case of 
peaches by means of washing the foliage 
daily with clean water. If spider does get 
a hold, hot water and soap must be used ; 
it cannot be trifled with. Fumigation 
and evaporation by means of nicotine pre- 
parations are alike dangerous in the case 
of the peach. 
A GARDENER WHO CLIPPED A 
BIRCH-TREE. 
I have seen our friend the jobbing gar- 
dener commit a good few atrocities in my 
time, but 1 think one of him eclipsed all 
He was called in 
to tidy up and do necessary work in a 
suburban garden, which was adorned by, 
among other things, two elegent Birch 
trees. Whether he thought that their 
pendulous elegant branches compared un- 
favorably with those of the mop-headed 
Acacias next door I know not, but I do 
know that he used knife and’ shears ‘on 
them to such an extent that their size was 
reduced two-thirds, while their contour was 
such as an Association football might envy. 
Could vandalism farther go?—REeEcis: | 
