Austrostipa acrociliata
(Reader) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.EverettShortly rhizomatous perennial, culms sometimes branched, erect or somewhat spreading, to 1 m high, nodes apparent, glabrous, but culms sometimes pubescent just below nodes. Leaves glabrous or scabrous; blade flat or slightly inrolled, to 40 cm long and 3–10 mm broad; ligule glabrous, truncate or laciniate at apex, 2–6 mm long. Inflorescence at maturity a diffuse panicle to 50 cm long. Glumes 6–10 mm long, initially purplish, the lower 1–3 mm longer than the upper and more acute, at least the upper usually ciliate at the apex; lemma 4.5–6 mm long, dark brown at maturity, granular with short white to tawny hairs; callus 1–1.5 mm long; awn weakly once or twice bent, the bristle straight or slightly falcate, 30–80 mm long, the straight part 6–12 mm long, shortly pubescent; palea sub-equal to lemma, with a dense line of hairs down the centre. Flowers Aug.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VRiv, RobP, Gold, NIS. Scattered through sandy, often limestone-rich areas of the far north-west in mallee-scrub with an outlying occurrence near Dookie in north-central Victoria.
A distinctive form with shorter lemmas than typical (about 4.5 mm long) which are truncate and slightly asymmetric when mature has been collected from Underbool, Hattah, Annuello and Murrayville districts. These specimens agree in all other respects with typical Austrostipa acrociliata.
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.
Spinning
