Austrostipa scabra (Lindl.) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett |
Common name
Spear Grass
Rough Speargrass
Slender Speargrass
Delicate Speargrass
Derivation
Austrostipa S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett, Telopea 6: 582 (1996); from
the Latin austro (south or southern) and Stipa (the name of a
related genus), referring to the Australian distribution of the species.
scabra- from Latin scabra (rough or gritty to the touch). Plants with rough leaf-blades, spikelets or stems.
Published in
Telopea 6: 588 (1996).
Common synonyms
Stipa scabra Lindl.
Stipa scabra Lindl. subsp. falcata (Hughes) Vickery, S.W.L. Jacobs
& J. Everett
Stipa scabra Lindl. subsp. scabra
Habit
Perennial. Culms 3060 cm high, Perennial, tufted. Cataphylls present.
Culms 3060 cm tall, compressible. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Mid-culm
nodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple. Leaf-sheaths smooth or scaberulous.
Ligule an eciliate membrane, 0.35 mm long, membranous, bilobed, truncate.
Leaf-blades conduplicate or involute or convolute, 0.72 mm wide. Leaf-blade
surface scabrous, glabrous or puberulous.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle or a panicle, exserted or embraced at base
by subtending leaf. Panicle open or contracted, linear, 1530 cm long.
Primary panicle branches appressed, 35 cm long. Panicle branches capillary.
Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret,
without rhachilla extension, lanceolate, terete, 810 mm long, breaking
up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret
callus evident, 11.5 mm long, bearded, acute.
Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate,
810(15) mm long, equalling upper glume, hyaline, 3-nerved. Lower
glume apex acute or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, 613 mm long, hyaline,
35-nerved. Upper glume apex acute or acuminate.
Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate, subterete, 45 mm long, coriaceous. Lemma surface
smooth or granulose or scabrous, puberulous. Lemma margins convolute, covering
most of palea. Lemma apex lobed, with lobes 0.20.25(0.5) mm long,
without appendage or surmounted by an obscure coma of hairs, sometimes barely
discernable from the general lemma indumentum, with this appendage 0.10.6
mm long, 1-awned. Median (principal) awn geniculate or bigeniculate, 3070
mm long overall, with a twisted column. Column 5.515 mm long, scabrous,
glabrous, with 0.10.2(0.3) mm long hairs. Palea 100% of length
of lemma, without keels. Stigmas 2. Grain 2.54.5 mm long.
Continental Distribution:
Australasia, Pacific.
Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.
Western Australia: Giles, Helms, Austin, Eucla, Roe, Coolgardie. Northern Territory: Central Australia South. South Australia: North-western, Lake Eyre, Nullabor, Gairdner-Torrens Basin, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South-eastern. Queensland: Leichhardt, Burnett, Darling Downs, Maranoa, Moreton, Warrego. New South Wales: North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, Northern Tablelands, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, North-Western Slopes, Central-Western Slopes, South-Western Slopes, North-Western Plains, South-Western Plains, South Far Western Plains, North Far Western Plains. Victoria: Murray Mallee, Lowan Mallee, Wimmera, Wannon, Grampians, Riverina, Midlands, Victorian Volcanic Plain, Eastern Highlands, Gippsland Plains, East Gippsland. Tasmania: East Coast.
Classification. (GPWG
2001):
Pooideae: Stipeae
Notes
Native. A widespread species occurring in all States and the Northern Territory.
Two subspecies are recognised, with geographic distributions predominantly in
different areas, but with extensive overlap.
Inflorescence narrow; ligules 0.61mm long | A. scabra subsp. scabra
(NSW VIC TAS NT SA WA QLD) Stipa scabra subsp. scabra |
Inflorescence spreading; ligules 0.3-0.6mm long | A. scabra subsp. falcata
(NSW VIC TAS NT SA WA QLD) Stipa falcata, Stipa scabra subsp. falcata |
Austrostipa scabra (Lindl.) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett subsp. scabra
Widespread through southern Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia;
extending into Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory.
Most abundant in the summer rainfall region.
Austrostipa scabra subsp. falcata (Hughes) S.W.L.Jacobs &
J.Everett
Mainly Tableland and southern areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia,
just getting into southern Queensland. Most abundant in the winter rainfall
region.
Habit (photo)
© S. Jacobs
Spikelet (line drawing)
© Australian Biological Resources Study
drawing by Lesley Elkan and Nicola Oram