Schizachyrium pseudeulalia (Hosokawa) S. T.
Blake. Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland
80: 77 (1969).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily
Panicoideae. Andropogoneae.
Basionym and/or
Replacement Name: Microstegium
pseudeulalia Hosok., Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Taiwan 28: 151 (1938).
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: HT: T. Hosokawa 9189, 4 Sep 1937, Federated States of Micronesia: Caroline
Islands: Palau
(?; IT: A, US-2078215).
Key references
(books and floras): [1981] M.Lazarides in J.Jessop (ed)., Flora of
Central Australia (490), [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass,
Grasses of Australia.
Habit. Annual.
Culms 40–90 cm tall, 0.2–0.35 mm diam., 7–12 -noded. Mid-culm internodes
glabrous or with pubescent line. Lateral branches branched. Leaf-sheaths smooth
or scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 0.2–1.3 mm long. Leaf-blades flat
or conduplicate, 0.8–9 cm long, 0.8–5.5 mm wide.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence solid, a rame. Rhachis fragile at the nodes.
Spikelets.
Spikelets sessile, 1 in the cluster. Companion spikelets pedicelled, 1 in the
cluster. Companion spikelets rudimentary, comprising 2 unequal glumes without
lemmas, 1–1.7 mm long. Companion spikelet glumes awned. 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, oblong or ovate, dorsally compressed, 4–8 mm long.
Glumes.
Glumes dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate,
coriaceous, keeled, 2-keeled, wingless. Lower glume surface glabrous or
indumented. Upper glume lanceolate, membranous, keeled, 1-keeled. Upper glume
surface scabrous. Florets. Basal sterile florets 1, barren, without
significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret 60–80 % of length of spikelet,
hyaline.
Fertile lemma without
keel, 1 -nerved. Lemma apex lobed, awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn from
a sinus, 11–30 mm long overall, with a twisted column. Column 4.5–9 mm long.
Palea absent. Grain 2–3 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Tropical Asia, Australasia,
and Pacific.
Australian
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.
Western Australia: Gardner,
Fitzgerald, Hall. Northern
Territory: Darwin & Gulf. Queensland:
Burke, Cook, North Kennedy, Port Curtis, South Kennedy, Wide Bay.
Notes. A fairly
common annual on sandy soil in tropical Australia
and subtropical coastal Qld. Occurs also in Malesia, Melanesia
and the Caroline Is.. Flowers Feb.--Sept.
