Ectrosia scabrida

Ectrosia scabrida C. E. Hubbard. Hooker's
Icon. Pl
. ser. 5, 4 t. 3312: 6–7 (1936).

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

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: Australia: between Fitzaurice and Victoria Rivers,
Oct 1855, Mueller.

Key references
(books and floras):
[1952] C.A.Gardner, Flora of Western Australia 1
Gramineae (88), [1981] M.Lazarides in J.Jessop (ed)., Flora of
Central Australia
(460), [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass,
Grasses of Australia
.

Habit. Annual.
Culms erect or geniculately ascending, stature slender to delicate, 6–40 cm
tall, 2–3 -noded. Lateral branches simple. Leaf-sheaths smooth, glabrous on
surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat or convolute, 6–12 cm long,
0.7–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, glabrous or indumented.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle oblong, 2.5–9 cm long, 2.5–3 cm
wide.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets many flowered, with at least 2 fertile
florets (2–5(-6)), comprising 2–5(–6) fertile floret(s), with diminished
florets at the apex, linear or oblong or ovate, laterally compressed, 5–11.7 mm
long.

Glumes. Glumes
similar. Lower glume lanceolate, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Upper
glume lanceolate, 2.4–3.6 mm long, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1–3 -nerved.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 2.1–4.3(–5.6) mm long, keeled, 3 -nerved. Lemma surface glabrous.
Lemma apex awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn 1.5–5 mm long overall. Palea
2 -nerved. Anthers 3. Grain 1–1.8 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.

Western Australia:
Gardner, Hall, Dampier. Mueller. Northern Territory: Barkly Tableland,
Central Australia North. Queensland: Burke, Cook.

Notes.
Endemic; Drier areas across northern Australia between 15°S and 22°S. Usually
on heavier textured soils than other Ectrosia species, in or beside
watercourses and gilgais, often with Melaleuca sp., but also in sand.

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