Dichelachne rara

Dichelachne
rara
(R. Br.) Vickery. Contr.
New South Wales
Natl. Herb.
1: 337 (1951).

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

Basionym and/or
Replacement Name:
 Agrostis rara
R. Br., Prodr. 171 (1810).

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: HT: Brown 6212, Australia: (BM; IT: K).

Recent synonyms:
D. novoguineensis.

Key references
(books and floras):
[1810]. R.Brown, Prodromus (171 as Agrostis
rara
), [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of Australia,
[2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses of South Australia
(218), [2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New
South Wales
(210), [2009] A.Wilson (ed.). Flora of Australia,
Vol 44A. Poaceae 2 (218).

Illustrations:
[2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses of South Australia  (218, fig. 164), [2008] S.W.L.Jacobs,
R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South Wales, 4th edn
(210), [2009]. A.Wilson (ed.), Flora of Australia 44A: Poaceae 2
(213, Fig. 29; 219, Fig.30).

Habit. Annual
or perennial. Culms erect, 18–130 cm tall, wiry. Mid-culm internodes glabrous
or pubescent. Lateral branches simple. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 1–3 mm
long, entire. Leaf-blades 4–17(–25) cm long, 1–4.5 mm wide.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle oblong, dense, 3.5–23 cm long, 4–8
cm wide.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1(–2) fertile
floret(s), without rachilla extension or with a barren rachilla extension,
linear, laterally compressed, 4–8.25 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, membranous,
keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Lower glume apex muticous. Upper glume lanceolate,
3.25–8.25 mm long, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 4–8 mm long, without keel or keeled, 5 -nerved. Lemma apex
dentate, awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn subapical or dorsal, 10–25 mm
long overall, with a twisted column. Palea 2–4 -nerved. Lodicules present.
Anthers 1 (rarely) or 3. Grain 1.9–3.25 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Tropical Asia and Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales,
Victoria, Tasmania.

South Australia: Northern Lofty,
Southern Lofty. Queensland: Leichhardt,
Darling Downs, Moreton. New
South Wales
: North Coast, Central
Coast, South Coast,
Northern Tablelands, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, South-Western
Plains. Victoria: Lowan Mallee, Murray Mallee. Tasmania:
Furneaux Group, North West, North East, West Coast, Central Highlands, East
Coast, South West, Mt Field.

Notes. A number of
specimens from the Southern Tablelands (Mt Franklin, Mt Gingera, Mt Ginini) and
Tas. in general conform to D. rara as described above, however the
spikelets are larger, more than 6.5 mm long.

Endemic. Roadside; open eucalypt
forest; sandy loam over Devonian red mudstone; rocky; altitude to 880 m; sandy
river bank; wet sclerophyll forest. Flowers Dec.-Mar.(-May). Fruits Jan.-May.

avh


                                               

                      

   

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