Austrofestuca hookeriana (F.Muell.) S.W.L.Jacobs, Telopea 3: 602 (1990).

Festuca hookeriana F.Muell., Fl. Tasm. ??? 2: 127, t. 165 (1860); Poa hookeriana (F.Muell.) F.Muell., Fragm. 7: 131 (1873); Schedonorus hookerianus (F.Muell.) Benth., Fl. Austral. 7: 656 (1878); Hookerochloa hookeriana (F.Muell.) E.B.Alexeev, Bjull. Moskovsk. Obsc. Isp. Prir., Otd. Biol. 90: 106 (1985). T: Cheshunt, Archer s.n.

Illustrated in: J.D.Hooker, Fl. Tasm., 2: t. 165.

Vegetative form. Perennial, caespitose. Leaves mostly basal. Culms 55-185 cm high, unbranched above, 2-3 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous, exposed or hidden by the leaf sheaths, pigmented (brown or black), slightly constricted. Mid-culm internodes hollow, glabrous, terete. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves occasionally slightly auriculate, or non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, glabrous or scabrous (minutely, in the basal leaves), ribbed, with the veins equally striate (and the midvein often scabrid), with margins connate (in basal leaves only), in lower 2/3s (+), membranous to chartaceous, smooth. Ligule of culm leaves 2.7-6.8 mm long, and in basal leaves reduced to a thick, minute rim 0.2-3.4 mm long, membranous to chartaceous, ciliolate, obtuse to truncate, in basal leaves entire or lacerate (in culm leaves), abaxially sparsely hairy. Collar glabrous. Distinct callus at blade-sheath junction occasionally present (in old leaves). Leaf blades partly flat or folded, subulate, 65-760 mm long, 2-6.8 mm wide (flat), not stiff; occasionally adaxially glabrous or adaxially scabrous (minutely), not grooved; abaxially scabrous (minutely), finely ribbed, with midrib prominent; with margins scabrous (minutely), apices acute, hooded (i.e. boat-shaped). Prophyll 30-55 mm long, the keels minutely scabrous.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Rudimentary spikelets rarely at the base of the inflorescence, or 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 to nodding, open, symmetrical, fully exserted. Main inflorescence axis 330-1245 mm long. Peduncles 150-900 mm long, glabrous, c. smooth. Rachides 180-345 mm long, subterete, at the base glabrous (becoming scabrous above). Rachis angles becoming scabrous. Primary inflorescence branches slender, scabrous (the lower branches 11-22 cm long, and bare for 5.5-8 cm before bearing spikelets); solitary, branching at the base, resulting in a clustered appearance of 3-5 branches at the node, with the basal internode 5.5-12 cm long, the branches spreading to divaricate, spiral, without spikelets inserted at the base. Spikelets 2-4 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch, spiral, on second order branches or on third order branches, erect, spreading.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 7.7-14 mm long, laterally compressed, elliptic, not disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 1.7-11.9 mm long, erect, slender, densely scabrous, straight. Glumes two per spikelet, similar, equal in length to subequal, approximately half the proximal lemma in length (or somewhat longer). Lower glume (dorsally) narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, 4.7-7.2 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, membranous, keeled, acute, entire, muticous, margin ciliolate; 2-3 veined, median veins prominent, midvein scaberulous to midvein scabrous; usually intercostal regions glabrous. Upper glume narrowly elliptic, 5.5-9.4 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, membranous, keeled, acute, entire, muticous, margin ciliolate; 3-5 veined, veins prominent, the lateral and midvein scabrous; intercostal regions glabrous, or 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 1.3-2.1 mm long, the surface away from the subtending glume rarely glabrous or pubescent to pilose (the hairs of varying density), elongated between all florets, apically prolonged; prolongation 1.5-3.2 mm long, naked. Rachilla rarely becoming vegetative, or not becoming vegetative. Callus present, blunt, 0.2-0.3 mm long, densely villous, hairs 0.6-0.9 mm long. Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, (dorsally) narrowly elliptic, 5.5-10.2 mm long, 0.9-1.3 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous, keeled (throughout), usually acute, but sometimes broadly obtuse to truncate in the upper florets, usually entire or bifid (minutely), very shortly awned. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma 5-7 veined. Lemma veins confluent towards the apex, prominent, minutely scabrous, with the hairs on all the veins, with the hairs only at the vein apex; intercostal regions papillose and scabrous (at the apex), the hairs only at the apex. Awns 1, median. Median awn usually conspicuous in the lower florets, not always present in the upper florets, 0.2-3.4 mm long, terete, subapical, scabrous. Palea fully developed, about equalling the lemmas, similar in texture to the lemmas, tightly clasped by the lemmas, narrowly elliptic, 5.3-8.1 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, membranous, 2-keeled, keels wingless, obtuse, apically notched or bifid (shortly), the apex margin ciliolate; 2 veined, veins puberulous (densely); intercostal regions glabrous, or intercostal regions scabrous. Lodicules 2, free, with a dorsal wing of tissue, hyaline, acute to obtuse, smooth, margin variable in shape but usually toothed or with entire margins, with margin divisions lateral or with margin divisions terminal, glabrous. Stamens 3. Anthers 3.4-5.1 mm long, basally 2-lobed. Ovary glabrous. Styles 2, apical, free to their bases.

Fruit. Fruit free from both lemma and palea, elliptical, ventrally compressed, 2.6-3.4 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, ventrally longitudinally grooved, glabrous. Hilum 0.5-1 mm long, elliptic. Embryo 0.8-1.2 mm long, not waisted, with an epiblast; endosperm hard.

Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Leaf anatomical data recorded.

Microhairs absent.

Stomata 45-49-54 m long.

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

Ecology. Mesophytic; in open habitats. Commonly at altitudes above 1000 m, in open, wet (e.g. swampy, bogggy, waterlogged) sites of eucalypt woodlands/forests. Flowers Nov.-Feb. Fruits Feb.-April.

Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: N.S.W.: Thredbo, swamp below sewage treatment works, D.S.Mitchell 1355 (CANB); Snowy. River Valley, in somewhat open moist sites of E. dalrympleana - E. viminalis forest. 1954, M.Mueller (NSW). A.C.T.: Bimberi Ra. between Gingera Mt and Ginina Mt, Cotter R. district, broad open soggy slope in eucalypt woodland, R.Pullen 3838 (CANB, NSW, L, A, K, BRI). Vic.: Bidwell, Upper Delegate R., NE Gippsland, growing in subalpine swamp at almost 4000 ft [1220 m], Feb. 1943, W.Hunter per N.A.Wakefield (MEL); Wulgulmerang, E Gippsland, N.A.Wakefield 2557 (MEL). Tas.: Wilsons Ck near Myrtle Bank, Ben Lomond District, rough pasture in lightly wooded area, 14 Jan. 1965, J.E.S.Townrow (HO).

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