Agrostis plebeia R.Br., Prodr. 172 (1810).

Vilfa plebeia (R.Br.) P.Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr. 16 (1812); Lachnagrostis plebeia (R.Br.) Trin., Fund. Agrost. 128 (1820); Gram. Unifl. Sesquifl. 217, 294 (1824); Deyeuxia plebeia (R.Br.) Benth., Fl. Austral. 7: 580 (1878); Calamagrostis plebeia (R.Br.) Kuntze, Rév. Gen. Pl. III 2: 343 (1898); Calamagrostis aemula var. plebeia Maiden & Betche, Census New South Wales Pl. 21 (1916). T: Port Jackson, N.S.W., R.Brown 6220; T: BM, n.v.. This species is however known only from W.A.
Didymochaeta australis Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 185 (1854); Deyeuxia australis (Steud.) Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3: 1153 (1883). T: South-west Australia, 1848. Drummond 370; holo: K n.v.

Vegetative form. Annual, caespitose. Culms 20-30 cm high, slender, c. 3 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous, exposed or hidden by the leaf sheaths (sheath longer or shorter than internode). Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, glabrous, with the veins equally striate. Ligule 2-3 mm long, membranous, obtuse. Leaf blades flat or involute, linear or filiform, 20-70 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide; with margins scabrous, apices acuminose; convolute in bud.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Incomplete spikelets absent. Inflorescence of chasmogamous spikelets.

Inflorescence. Inflorescence a panicle, loosely contracted, symmetrical, partially exserted or fully exserted. Rachides 40-120 mm long, glabrous. Primary inflorescence branches sparsely scabrous; solitary to clustered (?), narrowly spreading or appressed (?), filiform.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 3-4 mm long, laterally compressed, not disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 2-5 mm long, slender, sparsely scabrous. Glumes two per spikelet, diverging from the spikelets, similar, unequal in length, exceeding the florets, longer than the proximal lemma. Lower glume longer than the upper glume, membranous, keeled, acute, muticous; 1 veined, midvein scabrous; intercostal regions scaberulous. Upper glume membranous, keeled, acute, muticous; 1 veined, midvein scabrous; intercostal regions scaberulous. Rudimentary florets absent. Incomplete florets absent. Hermaphrodite florets 1 per spikelet. Rachilla hairy, apically prolonged or not apically prolonged; prolongation to 0.2 mm long. Callus present, blunt. Lemma less firm than the glumes, laterally compressed, ovate, 3-3.5 mm long, membranous, not keeled, truncate, dentate, 4 -lobed (the dorsal teeth short, the lateral teeth, up to 1.5 mm long); awned. Lemma veins villous; intercostal regions villous. Awns 1, median. Median awn much longer than the body of the lemmas, c. twice the length of the glumes, 1 veined, dorsal; arising from the lower half of the lemma (near the base), geniculate, column twisted. Palea fully developed (?), ? shorter than the lemma, membranous. Lodicules 2, hyaline, ovate. Stamens 2 (?). Anthers c. 0.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Styles 2, free to their bases.

Fruit. Fruit narrow elliptical, glabrous.

Distribution. Endemic. Western Australia.

Classification. Pooideae; Poodae; Aveneae.

References. Morphology: Vickery Contr. N.S.W. Natl Herb. 1: 110-111 (1941).

Cite this publication as:
C.M. Weiller, M.J. Henwood, J. Lenz and L. Watson (1995 onwards). `Pooideae (Poaceae) in Australia - Descriptions and Illustrations'. URL http://muse.bio.cornell.edu/delta/
Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993) should also be cited.

References and Acknowledgements