Common name
Small Swamp Wallaby Grass

Derivation
Amphibromus Nees, Lond. J. Bot. 2: 420 (1843); from the Greek amphi (about, near) and bromos (food, the oat), rightly alluding to similarity with Avena (not Bromus).

whitei- named for Cyril Tenison White (1890-1950), formerly Queensland Government Botanist.

Published in
Bull. Misc. Inform. 30 (1941).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Basal leaf sheaths persistent and investing base of culm, with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 20–35 cm tall, 3-noded. Lateral branches simple. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 4–8 mm long. Leaf-blades 7–15 cm long, 1–1.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle open, lanceolate, 5–10 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels 1–8 mm long. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 4–5 fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 6–10 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pilose. Rhachilla internodes hairy above. Floret callus pubescent.

Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, 1.5–2.3 mm long, 70–80% length of upper glume, membranous, 1–3-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate, 2.3–3 mm long, 60–70% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, membranous, 3-nerved. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Fertile lemma ovate, 3–4.5 mm long, chartaceous, 7-nerved. Lemma surface scabrous or papillose or tuberculate. Lemma apex dentate, 2(–4)-fid, 1-awned. Median (principal) awn dorsal, arising 50–100% way up back of lemma, geniculate, 8–14 mm long overall, with a twisted column. Palea keels winged, narrowly winged, ciliolate, adorned above. Palea apex acute. Rhachilla extension 75% length of fertile floret. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Anthers 1–3, 0.3–0.5 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex. Grain with adherent pericarp, 1.3 mm long, hairy at apex. Hilum linear.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Queensland: Maranoa.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Pooideae: Aveneae

Notes
Native. Known only from the type location, Qld.

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