Setaria paspalidioides

Setaria paspalidioides Vickery. Telopea
1: 42 (1975).

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

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: Australia:
New South Wales:
Western Plains: Gulargambone, 27 Apr 1936, E.C. Mathes s.n. (HT:
NSW-9027).

Key references
(books and floras):
[2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia
,
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales
(370).

Illustrations:
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales
, 4th edn (370).

Habit.
Perennial. Rhizomes absent. Culms erect, 30–100 cm tall. Mid-culm nodes glabrous
or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths antrorsely scabrous, hairy. Ligule a fringe of
hairs, 1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat or conduplicate, 4.5–30 cm long, 4–9 mm
wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth or scabrous, glabrous or indumented.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence solid, a panicle. Panicle linear.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled, 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles. 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, elliptic or obovate, dorsally compressed, 2.8–3.1 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, membranous, without keels, 5
-nerved. Upper glume elliptic or orbicular, 2.3–3 mm long, membranous, without
keels, 7–9 -nerved. Florets. Basal sterile florets 1, male or barren,
with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret 100 % of length of spikelet,
membranous, 5 -nerved.

Fertile lemma 2.8–3.1
mm long, without keel. Lemma apex mucronate. Anthers 3. Grain 1.75 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Queensland, New South Wales.

Queensland: Leichhardt, Mitchell,
Warrego, Maranoa. New South Wales:
North-Western Plains.

Notes.
The morphological features of the inflorescence of this species are similar to Paspalidium.
Setaria paspalidioides is closely related to S. australiensis,
but differs in having smaller spikelets, a sparse infloresence and a scabrous
main axis.

In Brigalow forests,
tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands, and semi-arid shrub woodlands.
Flowers Jan.-Sept.

 

AVH 2001

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