Setaria australiensis (Scribn. &
Merrill) Vickery. Contr. New South Wales Natl. Herb. 1: 335 (1950).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Panicoideae. Paniceae.
Basionym and/or
Replacement Name: Chaetochloa
australiensis Scribn. & Merr., Bull. Div. Agrostol., U.S.D.A.
21: 29 (1900).
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: HT: S.M. Tracy s.n., 1889, Australia
(US-978063).
Key references
(books and floras): [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia, [2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses
of New South Wales (368).
Illustrations:
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales, 4th edn (368).
Habit.
Perennial. Rhizomes present, short. Culms erect, 60–210 cm tall, 3–6 mm diam.,
6 -noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple or sparsely
branched. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 2–3 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, flat,
10–35 cm long, 5–23 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous or scabrous,
glabrous or indumented.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence solid, a panicle. Panicle linear or lanceolate, 6–20 cm long,
1.5–2 cm wide.
Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled, 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles. 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, elliptic or ovate, dorsally compressed, 3–4 mm long.
Glumes. Glumes
thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, membranous, without keels, 3–5
-nerved. Upper glume ovate, 2.5–3.1 mm long, membranous, without keels, 7–11
-nerved. Florets. Basal sterile florets 1, male or barren, with palea.
Lemma of lower sterile floret 100 % of length of spikelet, membranous, 5–7
-nerved.
Fertile lemma 3–4 mm
long, without keel. Lemma apex mucronate. Anthers 3. Grain 2.25 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales.
Northern Territory:
Darwin & Gulf. Queensland: Burke, Burnett, Cook, Darling Downs,
Leichhardt, Maranoa, Mitchell, Moreton, North Kennedy, Port Curtis, South
Kennedy, Wide Bay. New South Wales: North Coast.
Notes. In tropical
heaths, Brigalow forests, tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands, and
semi-arid shrub woodlands. Flowers Mar.-Sept.
