Austrochloris

Austrochloris Lazarides,. Austr. J. Bot.
Supp.Ser.
5: 35 (1972).

Derivation:.
From Latin austro (southern) and Chloris, alluding to a southern
or "Australian" genus allied to Chloris.

Taxonomic
revisions, nomenclatural references:
. M.Lazarides, Austr. J. Bot. Supp.
Ser.
5: 33–35 (1972).

Key references
(keys and floras):
. M.Lazarides, Flora of Central Australia 465
(1981); J.C.Tothill and J.B.Hacker, Grasses Southern Qld 120–121 (1983);
B.K.Simon, Key to Australian Grasses 74 (1993); D.Sharp and B.K.Simon, AusGrass
(2002); K.Mallet (ed.), Flora of Australia 44B: Poaceae 3:
282 (2005).

W.D.Clayton & S.A.Renvoize, Genera Graminum
(1986), genus (394).

Native, endemic. 1
species, from arid Queensland.

Habit.
Perennial, tufted. Leaf blades narrow. Ligule a fringed membrane.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence of spicate main branches, of digitate racemes or spikes,
digitate.

Spikelets. Spikelets
dorsally compressed, 2 flowered, with 1 fertile floret, solitary (on one side
of axis); with naked rachilla extension. Fertile spikelets disarticulating
above glumes.

Glumes. Glumes
more or less equal, long relative to adjacent lemmas, pointed (acuminate),
awnless, similar (narrow, membranous, divergent, the upper deciduous). Lower
glume 1 nerved. Upper glume 3 nerved.

Florets.
Fertile florets 1. Lemmas broadly rounded, decidedly firmer than glumes
(cartilaginous), entire at apex or incised (emarginate), when entire pointed or
blunt, awned, 3 nerved, hairy, 3 keeled. Awns 1, dorsal, non-geniculate, about
as long as body of lemma. Palea entire, thinner than lemma (scarious), 2
nerved. Distal incomplete florets 1 (neuter, with a cuneate lemma). Lodicules
2. Stamens 3. Grain small, ellipsoid, compressed dorsiventrally. Hilum short.
Embryo large.

Kranz Anatomy. C4.

Habitat. Savanna. Species of open habitats.

Classification.
Chloridoideae; Cynodonteae.

Notes. Although
dorsally compressed the lemma is unlike that of Enteropogon, and the
genus probably has more in common with Chloris (Clayton and Renvoize
1986).

Types Species. A.
dichanthoides
(Everist) Lazarides.

Biogeographic
Element
. Clifford & Simon 1981, Simon & Jacobs 1990: Endemic.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith