Ectrosia laxa

Ectrosia laxa S. T. Blake. Univ.
Queensland Dept. Biol. Pap
1(18): 1 (1941).

Classification.
(GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Chloridoideae. Cynodonteae.

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: IT: S.T. Blake 13688, 6 Apr 1938, Australia:
Queensland: Cook Dist. on Wrotham Park, ca. 50 miles north-west of Mungana, on
grey sand (US-1819382, US-3105000).

Key references
(books and floras):
[2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia
.

Habit. Annual.
Culms erect or geniculately ascending, stature slender to delicate, 30–60 cm
tall, 1–5 -noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple.
Leaf-sheaths hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 7–15 cm long, 0.8–2.8
mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, indumented.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle oblong, 7–15 cm long, 6 cm wide.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets many flowered, with at least 2 fertile
florets (2–3), comprising 2–3 fertile floret(s), with diminished florets at the
apex, linear or obovate, laterally compressed, 7–11 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
similar. Lower glume lanceolate, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1–3 -nerved.
Upper glume lanceolate, 2.8–4.4 mm long, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1–3
-nerved.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 3.2–10.7 mm long, keeled, 3 -nerved. Lemma surface glabrous.
Lemma apex awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn 2–4.7 mm long overall. Palea
2 -nerved. Anthers 3. Grain 1.1–1.7 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Northern Territory, Queensland.

Northern Territory:
Darwin & Gulf. Queensland: Cook.

Notes.
Endemic; recorded from the eastern half of Cape York Penin. and the northern
part of the N.T. (within 150 km of the coast). Occurs in sandy depressions and
on river banks, in forests and woodlands mainly dominated by Eucalyptus
spp.

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