Common name: Cane Grass, Cane Grass
Eragrostis australasica (Steud.) C.E.Hubb. APNI* 
Description: Tufted shrubby perennial to 2.4 m high; culms erect or ascending, smooth, glabrous, glaucous, branched at lower and upper nodes; base swollen, thickened by cataphylls.
Leaves with sheath loose about culm, smooth, glabrous; ligule a ciliate rim with hairs < 0.5 mm long; blade often rolled when dry, to 3 mm wide, smooth, glabrous.
Inflorescence open, ovate, 8–15 cm long, to 10 cm wide; rachis smooth, glabrous; pedicels 0.5–5 mm long, smooth, glabrous. Spikelets 6–12 mm long, to 2.5 mm wide, florets 5–11. Glumes unequal, keeled, smooth, glabrous; lower glume 1–3 mm long, subulate to acute, upper 2.5–4 mm long, acute. Lemmas 2–3.5 mm long, acute, keeled, smooth, glabrous. Palea subequal to lemma, 2-keeled, smooth, glabrous.
Flowering: in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Commonly grows in periodically wet claypans in the drier half of the State.
NSW subdivisions: ST, NWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. W.A. S.A.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 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.
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