Iseilema eremaeum

Iseilema eremaeum S. T. Blake. Proc.
Roy. Soc. Queensland

49: 83 (1938).

Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily
Panicoideae. Andropogoneae.

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: IT: S.T. Blake 12213, 19 Jul 1936, Australia: Queensland: Gregory South Dist.
(US-2959128).

Key references
(books and floras):
[1952] C.A.Gardner, Flora of Western Australia 1
Gramineae (351), [1981] M.Lazarides in J.Jessop (ed)., Flora of
Central Australia
(493), [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass,
Grasses of Australia
, [2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses
of South Australia
(526).

Illustrations:
[1952] C.A.Gardner, Flora of Western Australia
1 Gramineae (349, Pl. 102), [2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses
of South Australia
 (526, Fig. 448).

Habit. Annual.
Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 5–20 cm tall, 1 -noded. Ligule a fringed
membrane, a ciliolate membrane, 0.7–0.9 mm long. Leaf-blades linear or
lanceolate, flat or conduplicate, 2–6 cm long, 1–4 mm wide.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, composed of rames.

Spikelets.
Spikelets sessile, 1 in the cluster. Companion spikelets pedicelled, 2 in the
cluster. Basal sterile spikelets well-developed, 4 in number. Companion
spikelets developed, male, 2–3 mm long. Companion spikelet glumes muticous.
Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, the lower floret barren (rarely male), the upper
fertile, comprising 1 basal sterile florets, comprising 1 fertile floret(s),
without rachilla extension, lanceolate, dorsally compressed, 5–5.5 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic, coriaceous,
without keels, 8 -nerved. Lower glume surface indumented. Upper glume
lanceolate, coriaceous, 3 -nerved. Florets. Basal sterile florets 1,
barren, without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline, 0
-nerved. Fertile florets female.

Fertile lemma 2.9–3.5
mm long, 1 -nerved. Lemma apex entire, awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn
13–16 mm long overall, with a twisted column. Column 5–6.5 mm long. Palea
absent. Grain 2.5 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia,
Queensland.

Western
Australia
: Gardner.
Giles, Helms, Fortescue, Carnarvon, Austin. Northern
Territory
: Central Australia
South. South Australia: North-western,
Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens
Basin. Queensland: Gregory North, Gregory
South.

Notes.
Growing in stony, clay soils. Rare from scattered parts of the Eremean zone.
Flowers Jan.--July.

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