Common name: Slender Bamboo Grass
Austrostipa verticillata (Nees ex Spreng.) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett APNI* Synonyms: Stipa verticillata Nees ex Spreng. APNI*
Description: Caespitose perennial to c. 2 m high, shortly rhizomatous, with numerous branches at each node, without a basal tuft of leaves.
Leaves with sheath becoming free from the culm, glabrous, slightly to moderately ribbed, margins glabrous; ligule erose to entire, membranous, glabrous, 2–8 mm long; auricles absent; blade expanded, often readily deciduous, 1–3 mm wide, slightly to moderately ribbed, pilose to scabrous, margins glabrous to pilose to scabrous.
Panicle exserted, contracted to open, 15–60 cm long. Spikelets gaping, 3–4 mm long (excluding awn). Glumes equal to subequal, acute. Lemma 2.7–4 mm long, straw-coloured, becoming black at maturity, with white hairs; lobes and coma absent. Callus weakly bent, hairy. Awn weakly once or twice bent, 3.3–5.3 cm long. Palea 30–60% the length of the lemma.
Flowering: most of year.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by SWL Jacobs and J Everett 1993 (as Stipa)
Taxon concept: Flora NSW vol 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
|
