Triodia vella

Triodia vella M.
Lazarides. Austral. Syst. Bot.
10: 483 (1997).

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

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: Queensland: Darling Downs District; Lat 28º11' S,
Long. 151º02' E, 26 Sep 92, P.I. Forster 11661 (HT: BRI; IT: BRI, CANB,
DNA, K, MEL, NSW, PRE).

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

Illustrations:
[2005] K.Mallet (ed.), Flora of Australia 44B: Poaceae 3 (Fig.
35J-K).

Habit.
Perennial. Culms 30–100 cm tall. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath
auricles absent. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–0.8 mm long. Leaf-blades
straight, filiform, conduplicate, 16–20 cm long, 0.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade
surface glabrous.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle linear, dense, 7.5–16 cm long, 0.5–1
cm wide.

Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets many flowered, with at least 2 fertile
florets (3–6), comprising 3–6 fertile floret(s), with diminished florets at the
apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 6–10 mm long. Rhachilla internodes
elongated between glumes.

Glumes.
Glumes similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear or oblong,
chartaceous or scarious, keeled, 1-keeled, 3 -nerved. Lower glume surface
glabrous. Lower glume apex muticous. Upper glume linear or oblong, 4–5 mm long,
chartaceous or scarious, keeled, 1-keeled, 3 -nerved. Upper glume surface
asperulous, glabrous. Upper glume apex entire, muticous.

Florets.
Fertile lemma 5 mm long, without keel, 3 -nerved. Lemma surface indumented.
Lemma apex entire or lobed, muticous. Lodicules present. Anthers 3.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Queensland.

Queensland:
Darling Downs.

Notes.
Known from only two collections, one sterile.

 Distinguishing characters include the
white-woolly lemma and palea; minutely 2-lobed, 3-nerved lemma; chartaceous to
hyaline glumes, lemmas and paleas; relatively small, loosely flowered spikelet;
linear, prominently exserted panicle, and non-resinous mostly glabrous and
smooth foliage. T. vella is closely allied to T. scariosa but
differs by its wooly indumentum, usually much smalled spikelets, and the
absence of a mucro between the lemma lobes.

Darling
Downs District, Qld. Inhabits sandstone and laterised plateaux; flowers 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