Is it a Triodia?
Triodia can usually be distinguished from other grasses by its distinctive leaves that are thickened, tightly inrolled and needle-like leaves when dry. In many softer-leaved species the leaves or culms are often distinctly resinous, which is rare in other Australian grasses. However, a few species of Triodia look superficially similar to other genera, such as Leptochloa and certain needle-leafed Eriachne species (especially E. mucronata).
The following additional traits will help ensure that you have a Triodia species:
- Leaves always sharply pungent at the apex, terminated by a dark spine. Leaf blade tightly inrolled and appearing circular in section (terete) when dry.
- Plants perennial.
- Inflorescence usually a branched panicle; if rarely an unbranched spike or raceme then the broad side of the spikelets is not against (but is perpendicular to) the branch axis and spikelets are arranged in a spiral or irregular orientation around the axis (i.e. not 1-sided).
- Inflorescence never digitate or whorled at nodes.
- Lemmas usually 3-lobed, at least minutely, (lemmas are entire in a few species, and never have more than 3 lobes).
- Spikelets bisexual (both anthers and styles present in at least some flowers).
- Three or usually more florets per spikelet (in T. biflora and the Kimberley species T. diantha the third floret may be sterile, minute and hidden by the two larger florets).
