Oplismenus mollis

Oplismenus mollis (Domin) Clifford &
Evans ex B.K.Simon,  Austrobaileya 8 (2): 209 (2010).

Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Panicoideae. Paniceae.

Basionym and/or
Replacement Name:
 Oplismenus
undulatifolius
var. mollis Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 85: 329
(1915).

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: ST: Domin s.n., Australia: Sud-Queensland:
Tambourine Mts. (PR?). ST: Guilfoyle s.n., Australia: New South Wales:
Tweed River (PR?).

Recent synonyms: O. undulatifolius auct.

Key references
(books and floras):
[1969] E.E.Henty, Manual Grasses New Guinea
(133 as O. undulatifolius var imbecilis), [2002]
D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of Australia (as O.
undulatifolius
), [2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses
of New South Wales
(309 as O. undulatifolius).

Illustrations:
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales
, 4th edn (309 as O. undulatifolius).

Habit.
Perennial. Culms prostrate, 12–50 cm tall. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Ligule a
fringed membrane, a ciliate membrane, 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate or
ovate, 1–10 cm long, 4–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous, indumented.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 5–11, cuneate, 0.5–1 cm
long, bearing 2–6 fertile spikelets on each (in a fascicle). Central
inflorescence axis 2–10 cm long.

Spikelets.
Spikelets sessile and pedicelled, 2 in the cluster. Fertile spikelets
2-flowered, the lower floret barren (rarely male), the upper fertile,
comprising 1 basal sterile florets, comprising 1 fertile floret(s), without
rachilla extension, lanceolate, laterally compressed, 2.5–4 mm long.

Glumes.
Glumes similar or dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate,
herbaceous, keeled, 1-keeled, 3–5 -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous or
indumented. Lower glume apex awned. Upper glume ovate, 1.7–2.6 mm long,
herbaceous, keeled, 1-keeled, 5–7 -nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous or
indumented. Upper glume apex muticous or awned. Florets. Basal sterile
florets 1, male or barren, with palea or without significant palea. Lemma of
lower sterile floret 100 % of length of spikelet, membranous, 1-keeled, 7–11
-nerved, mucronate or awned.

Fertile lemma 2–3.6 mm
long, without keel, 7 -nerved. Palea without keels.

Continental
Distribution
: Europe, Africa, Temperate Asia, Tropical Asia, and
Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Queensland, New South Wales.

Queensland:
Cook, Moreton, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Wide Bay. New South Wales:
North Coast.

Notes.
Diagnostic features of O. undulatifolius include the smooth awn and
lowermost primary branches reduced to fascicles. It tends to intergrade with O.
hirtellus
.

In tropical and
subtropical rain forests and tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands.
Occurs in the shaded tropical woodlands of eastern Australia. Flowers Apr.-Aug.

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