Triodia stenostachya

Triodia stenostachya Domin. Biblioth.
Bot.
85: 387 (1915).

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

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: Queensland: North Kennedy District; in colle Castle
Hill prope opp. Townsville, Feb 1910, K. Domin s.n. (HT: PR; IT: K (2
sheets), PERTH (photos)).

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

Habit.
Perennial. Stolons present. Culms 30–200 cm tall, 1–1.3 mm diam. Mid-culm
internodes glabrous or pubescent. Lateral branches branched. Leaf-sheath
auricles absent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled or flexuous,
aciculate, conduplicate, 40 cm long, 0.6–1.3 mm wide.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle 20–40 cm long, 3.5–4 cm wide,
contracted about primary branches.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets many flowered, with at least 2 fertile
florets (3–4), comprising 3–4 fertile floret(s), with diminished florets at the
apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 4–6 mm long.

Glumes.
Glumes similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, scarious or
cartilaginous, keeled, 1-keeled, 3 -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower
glume apex mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate, 2.5–5 mm long, scarious or
cartilaginous, keeled, 1-keeled, 1 -nerved. Upper glume surface scabrous,
glabrous. Upper glume apex mucronate.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 2.5–3.7 mm long, without keel, 3–9 -nerved. Lemma surface
indumented. Lemma apex dentate or lobed. Anthers 3.

Continental
Distribution
: Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.

Western Australia:
Gardner, Hall. Fortescue. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Victoria
River. Queensland: Cook, North Kennedy.

Notes.
Distinguished by its highly resinous culms and leaves; large, dense panicles of
numerous, relatively small spikelets; mucronate glumes long relative to the
spikelet; unequally lobed lemmas; obovoid or ellipsoid, compressed caryopsis.

 Similar to T. microstachya and T.cunninghamii
but distinct by the dissimilar lemma lobes.

N of
18°S in W.A. and closely adjacent parts of the N.T., and in the North Kennedy
and Cook Districts, Qld; sometimes coastal mainland and islands. Rocky
hillslopes and ridges in shallow soils associated with sandstone, quartzite,
limestone, laterite-capped basalt, and granite; also in deep littoral sands and
on sandy creek bamks and levees; flowers Feb.-May, Sept.

 

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