Common name: Golden Oat Grass
Trisetum flavescens (L.) P.Beauv. APNI* 
Description: Tufted perennial to 0.6 m high.
Sheaths tightly enclosing culm, glabrous, upper margin sometimes with rigid hairs c. 0.5 mm long, lower sheaths sometimes pubescent with hairs <0.25 mm long; ligule membranous to 1.5 mm long, obtuse, toothed, rim sometimes with hairs <0.5 mm long; blade to 0.5 mm wide, scabrous, adaxial surface pubescent with fine hairs to 1 mm long.
Inflorescence paniculate, open, 5–20 cm long, to 2.5 cm wide (excluding awns). Spikelets 5–7 mm long (excluding awns); florets 2–3; rachilla with 2 rows of hairs to 1.5 mm long, usually extended as a sterile projection to 2 mm long. Glumes unequal, 1-keeled, keels scabrous, margin translucent, glabrous; lower glume linear, 2–4.5 mm long, subulate; upper glume linear to lanceolate, 4–6 mm long, acute. Lemmas lanceolate, 4.5–6 mm long, apex acute or 2-toothed, awned, 3–5-nerved; teeth slender, c. 0.5 mm long; awn dorsal, to 8 mm long, occasionally curved, usually column twisted, bristle with geniculate bend then straight, scabrous; palea 50–100% lemma length, 2-toothed, 2-nerved, 2-keeled, keel minutely scabrous, translucent.
Flowering: spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows along roadsides and in grassland. Native of Eur. & Medit. region.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *NT, *CT, *ST
T. flavescens is a complex species, there are many forms and varieties
Text by Jacobs, S.W.L., Whalley, R.D.B. & Wheeler, D.J.B.
Taxon concept: T. flavescens is a complex species, there are many forms and varieties
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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