Rytidosperma laeve (Vickery) Connor & Edgar APNI* Synonyms: Austrodanthonia laevis (Vickery) H.P.Linder APNI*
Danthonia laevis Vickery APNI*
Description: Erect, densely caespitose perennials to 0.6 m high.
Culms 2–4-noded, slender, smooth except sometimes slightly scabrous below the panicle. Sheaths glabrous or hirsute, enfolding the culms or the lower often loose; ligule reduced to short cilia; blade usually fine, inrolled-setaceous, somewhat rigid, pointed, glabrous or hirsute, to 20 cm long.
Inflorescence musch exserted, usually contracted, 3–4(-6) cm long, with 5–20 spikelets, loosely racemose or paniculate. Spikelets 4–6-flowered, greensih tinged with purple, the florets rather divergent, shorter than the glumes except for the exserted awns. Glumes rather narrow membranous margin, usually 5–7-nerved, 11–18 mm long. Lemmas 4–5 mm long, lanceolate to narrow-lanceolate-filiform; prominent hair tufts below sinus on the back; lateral lobes twice as long as body of lemma, narrowing upwards into fine setae 2–4 mm long; central awn much exceeding the lateral lobes, onece or twice loosely twisted; palea lanceolate to oblanceolate to almost obovate, minutely ciliolate on the keels.
Flowering: Flowers spring to summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in open woodland and grassland.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS
Other Australian states: S.A. Tas. Vic.
Text by Louisa Murray
Taxon concept: Jacobs, S.W.L., Whalley, R.D.B. & Wheeler, D.J.B. Grasses of New South Wales, Fourth Edition (2008).
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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