Austrofestuca eriopoda (Vickery) S.W.L.Jacobs, Telopea 3: 602 (1990).

Festuca eriopoda Vickery, Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 1: 10 (1939); Festucella eriopoda (Vickery) E.B.Alexeev, Bjull. Moskovsk. Obsc. Isp. Prir., Otd. Biol. 90: 104 (1985). T: Blue Mountains, Kanimbla Valley, Mt. Victoria, N.S.W, 24 Dec. 1892, J.J.Fletcher s.n.; holo: NSW.

Vegetative form. Perennial, densely caespitose. Leaves mostly basal. Culms 25-160 cm high, unbranched above, 2 noded or 3 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous, exposed, pigmented, (dark), slightly constricted. Mid-culm internodes hollow, glabrous, terete. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, glabrous or scabrous (the base of the basal sheaths with retrorse hairs), ribbed, with the veins equally striate, in the basal leaves the with margins connate, membranous, smooth (the old basal sheaths decaying to fibres). Ligule of basal leaves 0.2-0.7 mm long, and of the culm leaves, 1.7-2.6 mm long, membranous to chartaceous, ciliolate, obtuse to truncate, entire, abaxially hairy. Collar glabrous. Distinct callus at blade-sheath junction often present (in old leaves). Leaf blades joining the sheath abruptly (in the culm leaves), tightly folded to involute, filiform, the blades of the culm leaves, 15-100 mm long, the basal blades 60-265 mm long, 0.2-0.65 mm wide (unfolded), not stiff; angled, adaxially scabrous to adaxially puberulous, channelled; abaxially glabrous or abaxially scabrous (on the veins), ribbed, with midrib prominent; with margins scabrous (the hairs sparse), apices acute to apices acuminose. Prophyll 80 mm long, the keels minutely scabrous.

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

Inflorescence. Conspicuous vestigial foliar structure subtending the infloresence present, or absent. Inflorescence a panicle, green to purple, erect, open, symmetrical, fully exserted. Main inflorescence axis 145-815 mm long. Peduncles 100-600 mm long, glabrous, smooth or ridged. Rachides 45-270 mm long, subterete, striate, occasionally pigmented, usually glabrous or scabrous (the hairs sparse). Primary inflorescence branches slender, usually densely scabrous, the lower branches bare at their bases for up to 7.5 cm, and with the basal inflorescence internode 55-105 mm long; solitary or paired, branching at the base or not branched at the base, sometimes giving rise to a number of branches resulting in a clustered effect, the branches spreading, spiral, without spikelets inserted at the base. Spikelets 3 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch, spiral, on first order branches or on second order branches or on third order branches, erect, spreading.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 6.8-17 mm long, laterally compressed, ovate to elliptic, not disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 0.85-10 mm long, erect, slender, scabrous, straight. Glumes two per spikelet, similar (often pigmeented), equal in length to subequal, approximately half the proximal lemma in length. Lower glume c. 3/4s the length of the upper glume (or more), narrowly oblong to narrowly ovate, 3.8-5.5 mm long, 0.65-0.9 mm wide, membranous, keeled, acute, entire, muticous, margin scabrous to margin ciliolate; 1-3 veined (the laterals short), veins prominent, midvein scaberulous (near the apex); intercostal regions glabrous, or intercostal regions papillose to intercostal regions scabrous (minutely, near the apex). Upper glume narrowly ovate, 4.7-6.2 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, membranous, keeled, acute, entire, muticous, margin ciliolate; 3 veined, median veins prominent, midvein scaberulous (near the apex); intercostal regions glabrous, or intercostal regions papillose to intercostal regions scabrous (near the apex). Rudimentary florets distal to the hermaphrodite florets. Incomplete florets absent. Hermaphrodite florets 3-5 per spikelet. Rachilla disarticulating between the florets, disarticulating directly below the florets, straight, segments 1.2-2.1 mm long, the surface away from the subtending lemma densely pilose to villous, elongated between all florets, apically prolonged; prolongation 1.2-3 mm long, terminated by a rudimentary floret (a very reduced structure). Callus present, rounded and blunt, 0.1-0.2 mm long, villous, hairs 0.4-0.8 mm long. Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, (dorsally) narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 5.5-7.7 mm long, 0.7-1.1 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous (usually with a band of pigment across the apex), keeled (throughout), acute to truncate, narrowly and erosely in side view, minutely bifid, muticous or awned (the awn very short). Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma rarely 3 veined or 5 veined. Lemma veins confluent towards the apex, the median vein prominent, minutely scabrous, with the hairs on all the veins, in the upper 3/4s or with the hairs only at the vein apex; intercostal regions papillose to scabrous (minutely), the hairs over the entire dorsal surface. Awns 1, median. Median awn to 1.3 mm long, subapical. Palea fully developed, nearly equalling the lemmas or shortly exceeding the lemmas, similar in texture to the lemmas, tightly clasped by the lemmas, narrowly elliptic, 5.5-7.2 mm long, 0.6-1.1 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous, 2-keeled, keels wingless, obtuse, entire or apically notched or bifid (shortly, and occasionally 3-fid), the apex margin ciliolate; 2 veined, veins puberulous (usually densely); intercostal regions papillose, or intercostal regions puberulous (the hairs isolated or sparse). Lodicules 2, free, hyaline, with a narrow dorsal wing, acute, usually smooth or ciliolate (at the apex), toothed or with entire margins, with margin divisions lateral or with margin divisions terminal, glabrous or ciliate (the hairs occasional and minute). Stamens 3. Anthers 3.6-5.5 mm long, yellow or purple, basally 2-lobed. Ovary glabrous. Styles 2, apical, free to their bases.

Fruit. Fruit free from both lemma and palea, narrowly elongate, elliptical, ventrally compressed, 3.8-4.3 mm long, 0.9 mm wide, ventrally longitudinally grooved, glabrous. Hilum 0.4-0.9 mm long, elliptic. Embryo 0.8 mm long, not waisted.

Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Leaf anatomical data recorded.

Microhairs absent.

Stomata absent.

Distribution. Endemic. New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria.

Ecology. Mesophytic; in open habitats. Commonly in eucalypt forests at about 1000 m, often near water. Flowers Dec.-Feb. Fruits May ?.

Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: N.S.W.: Kanimbla Valley, Mt. Victoria, 24 Dec. 1892, J.J.Fletcher (NSW); Tinderry Mts, T.G.Hartley 14228 (CANB). A.C.T.: Palerang Ra. nr Rossi, NE of Captains Flat, R.Pullen 4018 (CANB). Vic.: Maramingo Creek, East Gippsland, A.C.Beauglehole 32835 (ACB, MEL,NSW, G.W.Carr); Benambra Creek Natural Feature Scenic Reserve, A.C.Beauglehole 68605 (MEL).

Classification. Pooideae; Poodae; Poeae.

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