Eragrostis falcata
(Gaudich.) Gaudich. ex Steud.Tufted perennial or annual, culms ascending to erect, to 50 cm high. At least the young leaves with sparse, fine hairs to 2 mm long, becoming glabrous, occasionally merely tuberculate or glabrous; blade closely inrolled, to 6 cm long and 1 mm wide; hais of ligule c. 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence an open panicle, 3–10 cm long and up to 6 cm wide, branches finally stiffly spreading, lower branch solitary. Spikelets (5–)9–35-flowered, 5–15 mm long and 0.7–1 mm wide, sometimes purplish, dull; glumes obtuse, 1–1.3 mm long, subequal, scarious, early-deciduous; lemmas closely overlapping, at least the lowermost in spikelets 1.5 mm long or slightly more, very obtuse or truncate, or broadly emarginate, apex and margins broadly membraous, lateral nerves indistinct, nearer to margin than to keel; palea slightly shorter than lemma; anthers 0.4–1 mm long. Flowers Oct.–Jan. (2 records) but possibly throughout warmer months when water is available.
MuM, VRiv, MSB. Confined in Victoria to the far north-west and known only from collections near Mildura and Lake Wallawalla. Grows in silty clays of saline flats, probably periodically inundated. Occurs in all mainland States.
Close to E. lacunaria from which it is most readily distinguished by the dull spikelets, longer more obtuse to truncate lemmas and larger anthers.
