Austrofestuca littoralis (Labill.) E.B.Alexeev, Bjull. Moskovsk. Obsc. Isp. Prir., Otd. Biol. 81: 55 (1976).

Festuca littoralis Labill., Nov. Holl. Pl. 1: 22, t. 27 (1805); Schedonorus littoralis (Labill.) P.Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr. 99 (1812). T: in capite Van-Dieman (Tas.); holo: P, iso: K, n.v.
Arundo triodioides Trin., Spec. Gram. t. 351 (1828).
Schedonorus Billardierianus Nees, in Lond. J. Bot. ?? 2: 419 (18 ); Triodia billardierei Spreng.,

Illustrated in: Labill. Fl. Nov. Holl., i, t. 27. Trin. Sp. Gram., iii, t. 351.

Vegetative form. Perennial, yellowish-green, rhizomatous and caespitose (with a vertical rhizome bearing long, sheathing scale-leaves). Leaves mostly basal. Culms 8-75 cm high, unbranched above, 2-4 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous, exposed or hidden by the leaf sheaths, pigmented (brown), constricted. Mid-culm internodes hollow, glabrous, terete. Young shoots intravaginal. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, rarely the sheath of the flag leaf somewhat inflated and, the lower sheaths becoming rather loose from the culms, glabrous, the same colour as the lamina or purple (at the base of the basal sheaths), ribbed, with the veins equally striate, with margins free, chartaceous, smooth. Ligule of culm leaves 3.8-5.5 mm long, lobed (in basal leaves, the lobes asymmetrical (unequal in length) with a low midpoint), and in the basal leaves 0.8-2.1 mm long, thick, chartaceous, ciliolate, obtuse, entire. Collar glabrous. Leaf blades involute, acicular, often longer than the culm, 85-500 mm long, 0.6-1.7 mm wide, stiff; densely adaxially puberulous, channelled; abaxially glabrous, smooth, with the veins equally striate; with margins smooth, apices acuminose. Prophyll 40-72 mm long, the keels scabrous.

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

Inflorescence. Conspicuous vestigial foliar structure subtending the infloresence rarely present, or absent. Inflorescence a panicle, yellowish to pallid, erect, contracted, 10-20 mm wide, oblong, symmetrical, partially exserted or fully exserted. Main inflorescence axis 100-295 mm long. Peduncles 45-145 mm long, glabrous, smooth. Rachides 40-160 mm long, terete, glabrous. Primary inflorescence branches rarely glabrous or pubescent (densely); solitary, usually branching at the base, spreading, spiral, without spikelets inserted at the base. Spikelets 2-4 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch, spiral, on first order branches or on second order branches (usually), erect, spreading.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 9.4-13.5(-17) mm long, laterally compressed, elliptic, not disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 0.85-12 mm long, erect, thick, rarely glabrous or pubescent (densely), straight. Glumes two per spikelet, similar, equal in length to subequal, slightly shorter than the proximal lemma. Lower glume asymmetrical about the midvein near the apex, narrowly elliptic, 8.5-12 mm long, 1.7-2 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous, keeled (in the upper part), acute, entire, muticous, rarely margin smooth or margin ciliolate (towards the apex); 3-5 veined, veins prominent, midvein scaberulous (at the apex only); intercostal regions glabrous to intercostal regions scabrous (minutely). Upper glume narrowly ovate, 9.3-12.8 mm long, 1.2-1.8 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous, keeled (in the upper part), acute, entire, muticous, rarely margin smooth or margin ciliolate; (3-)5 veined, veins prominent, midvein scaberulous (the hairs usually dense and only at the apex); intercostal regions glabrous to intercostal regions scabrous (minutely). Rudimentary florets distal to the hermaphrodite florets. Incomplete florets absent. Hermaphrodite florets 3(-5) per spikelet (rarely 6 florets). Rachilla disarticulating between the florets, disarticulating directly below the florets, straight, segments 1.7 mm long (rarely geniculate before the upper floret), the surface away from the subtending lemma densely villous, elongated between all florets, apically prolonged; prolongation 2.1-2.8 mm long, terminated by a rudimentary floret (very reduced structure present). Callus present, blunt, 0.2 mm long, the pubescence variable either glabrous or scabrous or villous. Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, narrowly elliptic, 8.5-12.8 mm long, 1.4-2.1 mm wide, chartaceous to coriaceous (?), keeled (throughout), obtuse, entire or bidentate, muticous. Lemma margins smooth or ciliolate (at the apex). Lemma 5-6 veined. Lemma veins confluent towards the apex, prominent, the surface hairiness extremely variable, the veins papillose to scabrous (minutely) or pubescent or pilose or villous, with the hairs on all the veins, but usually more prominent on the midvein, and variable in distribution usually with the hairs extending the length of the veins (the hairs denser near the base) or with the hairs only at the vein apex or with the hairs only at the vein base; intercostal regions papillose to scabrous, the hairs usually only at the apex. Palea fully developed, c. equalling the lemmas, similar in texture to the lemmas, tightly clasped by the lemmas, markedly furrowed, narrowly elliptic, 7.7-10.4 mm long, 1.2-2.5 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous, 2-keeled, keels wingless, obtuse, entire or apically notched, margin smooth or margin ciliolate; 2 veined, veins puberulous (densely); intercostal regions papillose to intercostal regions scabrous. Lodicules 2, free, with a dorsal wing of tissue, hyaline, acute, smooth or ciliolate (hairs when present occasional), toothed, with margin divisions lateral or with margin divisions terminal, pilose, the hairs sparse or the hairs isolated. Stamens 3. Anthers (3.8-)4.7-7.2 mm long, basally 2-lobed. Ovary glabrous. Styles 2, apical, free to their bases.

Fruit. Fruit free from both lemma and palea, obovoid, ventrally compressed, 2.6-3.8 mm long, 1.2-1.7 mm wide, ventrally longitudinally grooved, glabrous. Hilum (0.3-)0.8-1 mm long, rarely punctiform or elliptic. Embryo 0.6-1 mm long, not waisted; endosperm hard.

Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Leaf anatomical data recorded.

Costal/intercostal zonation inconspicuous; epidermis differentiated into long- and short-cells; long-cells similar in shape costally and intercostally; long-cells of similar wall thickness costally and intercostally (thick walled).

Microhairs absent.

Crown cells absent. Prickles absent. Macrohairs absent.

Intercostal long-cells fairly constant in shape. Mid-intercostal long-cells markedly elongated; rectangular, or fusiform (slightly); when fusiform inflated; long-cell walls tessellate; the undulations regular; end walls vertical; the intercostal long-cell walls associated with conspicuous pitting; outer surfaces of intercostal long-cells not pitted. Papillae absent.

The costal zones all histologically similar; costal short-cells nearly all solitary. Costal cork-cells (the few present) similar in shape to the silica cells. Costal silica bodies present but imperfectly developed.

Intercostal short-cells common; throughout the intercostal zones; mostly solitary. Unsilicified intercostal short-cells tall-and-narrow to square; walls straight (vertically), or sinuous (horizontally). Intercostal silica bodies imperfectly developed.

Stomata absent.

Photosynthetic pathway and related features. C3. XyMS+. The PBS sheaths of the primary lateral vascular bundles interrupted (above and below). Mestome sheath single; complete.

Transverse section of the leaf blade. Lamina mid-zone in transverse section infolded permanently; U-shaped; adaxial channel parallel-sided, with a digitate base, or irregular; exhibiting adaxial ribs only (these slight). Adaxial furrows slight, or deep (on either side of the midrib); wide, or narrow. Adaxial furrows between all the vascular bundles. Adaxial ribs more or less constant in size; flat-topped to round topped; opposite all vascular bundles. Vascular bundles in the mid-lamina about 10; 1 per rib. Abaxial furrows absent.

Midrib pronounced in outline; adaxially raised and rounded to adaxially raised and pointed; 1 ridged adaxially; not prominent abaxially. Keel-less. Vascular bundles in the mid-lamina region of the midrib 1. The median vascular bundle without a protoxylem cavity; with an enlarged protoxylem vessel; with sclerosed phloem, or without sclerosed phloem. Midrib without colourless tissue adaxially; without lacunae. The lamina symmetrical on either side of the midrib.

Mesophyll chlorenchyma non-radiate; loosely packed. Mesophyll without lacunae; without any obvious adaxial palisade; without `circular cells'; not traversed by columns of colourless cells; without arm cells; without fusoids. Bulliforms absent. Bulliform `hinge groups' present (rather inconspicuous). Abaxial epidermis heavily lignified, without bulliform-like epidermal cells or groups.

Outlines of primary vascular bundles more or less circular. Primary lateral vascular bundles with adaxial sclerenchyma; with abaxial sclerenchyma; the adaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the abaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the combined girders forming `anchors'. Outlines of lower order vascular bundles more or less circular. Lower order vascular bundles with adaxial sclerenchyma; with abaxial sclerenchyma; the adaxial sclerenchyma forming girders (except in the small bundles at the margins which have an adaxial strand only); the abaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the combined girders of the lower order vascular bundles forming `anchors'; the smallest vascular bundles with sclerenchyma. The adaxial sclerenchyma of the mid-lamina not all bundle-associated; sclerenchyma of the mid-lamina forming a continuous adaxial hypodermal layer (two cells thick).

Distribution. Endemic. Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia.

Ecology. Distribution by vegetation region: coastal grasslands (dunes). In open habitats; maritime-arenicolous. Flowers (July-)Sept.-Oct.(-Jan.). Fruits Dec.-Jan.

Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: W.A.: Swan R., Drummond 393 (MEL). N.S.W.: Lighthouse Beach, Port Macquarie, R.Pullen 4962 (CANB). Vic.: Corner Inlet, Sunday Is., 2-6 Sept. 1952 C.I.Skewes (MEL). Tas.: opening of Freney Lagoon, Coxs Bight, A.E.Orchard 5768 (CANB, HO); Cat Is., 4 Dec. 1986, S.Harris (HO).

Material examined anatomically: L.Watson 304, Congo, NSW. ; L.Watson 132, Ulladulla, NSW.

Classification. Pooideae; Poodae; Poeae.

References. Illustrations: ausfes01.gif

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