Piptochaetium montevidense
(Spreng.) ParodiDensely tufted perennial to c. 50 cm high, the culms not or barely exceeding the leaves. Leaf-blades glabrous, finely scabrous, c. 0.5 mm diam.; sheaths often with scattered retrorse hairs; ligules firmly membranous, obtuse, 1–2 mm long. Inflorescence a rather dense, contracted panicle, to 10 ×1.5 cm. Glumes c. 3.5 mm long, 3–5-nerved, subequal, the lower at least broad and inflated around the lemma, shortly acuminate, purplish when young; lemma obliquely obovoid, c. 2 mm long, laterally compressed but plump, with several tuberculate, lateral ridges and a minute apical corona on the dorsal side of the truncate apex, callus very short, truncate, with pale hairs c. 0.5 mm long; awn gently sinuate, c. 1 cm long, scabrous-pubescent, soon deciduous. Flowers Oct.–Nov.
VVP. Native to most South American countries. Known in Australia from one 1988 collection near Altona where forming a dense sward within native Themeda triandra-Austrostipa spp. grassland on dark basaltic clay. The population has not been seen since the first collection and the site is now much modified. It is possibly no longer extant in the State.
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
