Austrostipa aquarii

Austrostipa aquarii (Vickery,
S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett. Telopea 6:
584 (1996).

Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Pooideae.
Tribe Stipeae.

Basionym and/or
Replacement Name:
 Stipa aquarii Vickery,
S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett, Telopea 3(1): 27 (1986).

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: Northern Territory: Waterhouse range, 24.02S,
133.36E, 3 Feb. 1976. Erect perennial, rare in skeletal soil, walls of gully,
sand, Latz 6349 (HT: NT).

Key references
(books and floras):
[2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia
, [2009] A.Wilson (ed.). Flora of Australia, Vol 44A. Poaceae
2 (17).

Illustrations:
[2009]. A.Wilson (ed.), Flora of Australia 44A: Poaceae 2 (18,
fig.2A).

Derivation: L. aquarius,
water man. From the Waterhouse Range, Northern Territory, Australia.

Habit.
Perennial. Rhizomes present, short. Culms 50–100 cm tall, 1.5 mm diam., 5–6
-noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous or pubescent. Mid-culm nodes pubescent.
Lateral branches simple. Leaf-sheaths antrorsely scabrous, glabrous on surface
or hairy. Ligule a fringed membrane, a ciliolate membrane, 1–2 mm long,
abaxially hairy, obtuse. Leaf-blades involute or convolute, 30–60 cm long, 1–2
mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous, indumented.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle linear, 14–20 cm long, 1 cm wide.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile
floret(s), without rachilla extension, linear, terete, 10–12 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, hyaline, without
keels, 3 -nerved. Upper glume lanceolate, 9–10 mm long, hyaline, without keels,
3 -nerved.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 3.5–5 mm long, without keel, 5 -nerved. Lemma surface indumented.
Lemma apex awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn 40–50 mm long overall, with
a twisted column. Column 10–15 mm long. Palea 2 -nerved, without keels.
Lodicules present. Anthers 3. Grain 2–2.5 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Northern Territory.

Northern Territory:
Central Australia South.

Notes. Similar to A.
hemipogon
but differing in the smaller spikelet with narrow-fusiform lemma
(turbinate in A. hemipogon) and slender awn.

Central Australian Ranges, on
hillsides.

AVH 2011

 

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