Cymbopogon

1. Lower glume of sessile spikelet with a deep
median groove; leaf blade cordate at base
*C. martinii (QLD)
Lower glume of sessile spikelet flat or
concave on back; leaf blade narrow or attenuate at base
2


2. Inflorescence occupying 1/10-1/5 of culm length, dense C. globosus (QLD)
Inflorescence occupying 1/5-2/3 of culm length, not dense 3


3. Racemes distinctly hairy, with hairs 4-7 mm long 4
Racemes only slightly hairy, with hairs less than 3 mm long 10


4. Longer callus hairs up to 1.3 mm long 5
Longer callus hairs 3.5-5 mm long 7


5. Leaf blades up to 3 mm wide, filiform to
very narrow; culms delicate and drooping
C. dependens (NT WA)
Leaf blades more than 4 mm wide; culms robust and erect 6


6. Plant 1.5-2.5 m tall with 7-11-noded
inflorescences; lower glume of sessile spikelet not more than 4.5 mm long
C. procerus (NT WA QLD)
C. exaltatus
Plant usually less than 1.5 m tall with
4-8-noded inflorescences; lower glume of sessile spikelet 5.5-7 mm long
C. ambiguus (NSW NT SA WA QLD)
C. exaltatus auct.


7. Sessile spikelet awnless 8
Sessile spikelet awned 9


8. Lower glumes of sessile spikelet nerveless, flat on back C. gratus (QLD)
Lower glume of sessile spikelet 3-nerved, flat to shallowly concave *C. citratus (QLD)


9. Leaf sheaths to 6 mm wide, rolling back at maturity C. bombycinus (NT WA QLD)
Leaf sheaths 2-3 mm wide, not rolling back at maturity C. obtectus (NSW VIC NT SA WA QLD)


10. Pedicelled spikelet with 2 glumes; sessile
spikelet with an awn 10-12 mm long, usually not reflexed at maturity
C. queenslandicus (QLD)
Pedicelled spikelet with one glume only;
sessile spikelet usually awnless (if awned, awn small and imperfect, always distinctly reflexed at maturity)
C. refractus (NSW VIC NT QLD)

Key to Cymbopogon derived from Blake 1944b; Soenarko 1977; Simon 1989b

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