Common name: Arabian Grass
Schismus barbatus (L.) Thell. APNI* 
Description: Caespitose annual to 0.4 m high.
Leaves with orifice with rigid hairs to 3 mm long; ligule membranous, to 0.5 mm long, truncate, erose, with a rim of scattered hairs c. 0.25 mm long; blade inrolled, narrow, glabrous.
Inflorescence open, 9–70 mm long, to 16 mm wide. Spikelets 5–9 mm long, florets 4–9, bisexual. Glumes subequal, 4–6 mm long, 5–7-nerved, scabrous, margins white and papery. Lemmas 9-nerved, apex hyaline; lowest lemma 1.5–2.5 mm long, lower half with rigid hairs c. 0.25 mm long towards margins, 2-lobed, often mucronate; upper lemmas 1.5–3.0 mm long, 2-toothed, often with a mucro, apices obtuse becoming more acute; paleas 1.5–2.5 mm long, lowest palea same length as lowest lemma, upper paleas shorter than lemmas, apices obtuse or acute.
Flowering: in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in sandy areas usually in the inland. Native of Medit region.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *NWP, *SWP, *NFWP, *SFWP
Other Australian states: *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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