Culms erect, to 150 cm high. Leaves glabrous or sparsely ciliate near base; blade finely scabrous to 45 cm long and 25 mm wide; ligule membranous, to 8 mm long. Inflorescence a loose but rather narrow panicle to 40 cm long. Spikelets drooping, 2–5-flowered; glumes lanceolate, 20–30 mm long, 7–9-nerved; lemma lanceolate, 14–23 mm long (including apical lobes), bilobed at apex with teeth to c. 1 mm long, the lower two lemmas with silky hairs over the lower two-thirds, upper florets (if present) commonly glabrous; awn 30–60 mm long, inserted below midway on lemma; palea 3–6 mm shorter than lemma. Florets falling united at maturity. Flowers Aug.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, NIS. Of scattered occurrence on roadsides, vacant land and natural grasslands and grassy woodlands.
Very close to A. sterilis and formerly regarded as a subspecies of it, differing only in its overall smaller floral parts.
Source:
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.
