Common name: Mallee Lovegrass
Eragrostis dielsii Pilg. APNI*
Description: Tufted annual or short-lived perennial to 0.4 m high; culms spreading, the bases often swollen; cataphylls with lower 25% with hairs to 1 mm long.
Leaves with sheath margin often with hairs c. 0.25 mm long; ligule a ciliate rim with hairs to 0.5 mm long; blade rolled, to 2 mm wide, scabrous, glabrous.
Inflorescence open, the branches and spikelets curving upwards away from the ground, 3–14 cm long, 1–4 cm wide; pedicels 0–2 mm long, scabrous, glabrous. Spikelets almost terete, 3–36 mm long, to 1 mm wide, often curved, florets 6–54; rachilla subpersistent, lemmas deciduous, paleas subpersistent. Glumes c. 1.5 mm long, acute, smooth, glabrous, keel scabrous. Lemmas 1.5–2 mm long, obtuse to emarginate, glabrous, upper 30% sometimes scabrous. Palea equal to lemma.
Flowering: in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in mallee on light clay soils of the inland.
NSW subdivisions: NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. W.A. S.A. N.T.
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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