Australopyrum (Tsvelev) A.Love,. Repert Spec.
Nov. Regni Veg. 95: 442 (1984).
Derivation:.
From Latin australis (southern) and Greek puros (wheat),
referring to this native triticoid genus.
Taxonomic
revisions, nomenclatural references:. A. Love Feddes Repert. 95:
442–443 (1984).
Key references
(keys and floras):. J.C.Tothill and J.B.Hacker, Grasses of Southern
Queensland 80–81 (1983) as Agropyron; B.K.Simon, Key to
Australian Grasses 74 (1993); S.W.L.Jacobs and S.M.Hastings, Flora of New South Wales 4:
603–604 (1993); N.G.Walsh, Flora. Victoria 2: 518–519 (1994);
D.I.Morris, Student's Flora of Tasmania 4B: 300–302 (1994);
E.Edgar and H.E.Connor, Flora of New Zealand 5: 378–383 (2000); D.Sharp
and B.K.Simon, AusGrass (2002); S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley &
D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South Wales, 4th Ed, 137–138 (2008);
A.Wilson (ed.), Flora of Australia 44A: Poaceae 2: 107–110
(2009).
W.D.Clayton &
S.A.Renvoize, Genera Graminum (1986), genus (syn of Agropyron).
Native. 5 species,
from Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. 3 species in Australia, WA,
SA, Qld, NSW, Vic, and Tas.
Habit.
Perennial, tufted. Leaf blades narrow. Ligule an unfringed membrane.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence a single raceme (the spikelets somewhat spreading), a single
raceme or spike.
Spikelets.
Spikelets laterally compressed, more than 2 flowered, solitary, subsessile to
pedicelled (with broad side facing the axis); with naked rachilla extension.
Fertile spikelets disarticulating above glumes.
Glumes. Glumes
more or less equal, hairless, glabrous, pointed, awnless, non-keeled, similar
(rigid, broadly lanceolate, rather asymmetric). Lower glume 4–6 nerved. Upper
glume 5–7 nerved.
Florets.
Fertile florets 5–7. Lemmas slightly involute, not becoming indurated, entire
at apex, pointed, awned, without a germination flap, 5–7 nerved, with nerves
confluent towards tip. Awns 1, apical, hooked or not hooked, non-geniculate,
much shorter than body of lemma to about as long as body of lemma. Palea
relatively long, 2 nerved. Distal incomplete florets underdeveloped. Lodicules
2. Stamens 3. Grain small. Hilum long-linear. Embryo small.
Kranz Anatomy.
C3.
2n = 14,
2 ploid.
Classification.
Pooideae; Triticeae.
Notes. Placed
in synonymy with Agropyron by Clayton and Renvoize (1986). Australopyrum
is closely related to Northern Hemisphere Triticeae on the basis of both classical
taxonomic characters as well as molecular markers (Appels, 1992).
Types Species. A.
pectinatum (Labill.) Á.Löve.
