Blade rolled or folded in bud, convolute, terete or flat, usually scabrous or hairy.
Inflorescence an open or contracted panicle, axis persistent or falling as a whole. Spikelets borne singly, pedicellate, disarticulating above the glumes; 1 bisexual floret. Glumes equal or unequal. 1–5-nerved, longer than the floret; a long or short bearded callus below each floret. Lemma terete, hardened, with convolute or involute margins enclosing the palea, usually 5-nerved, with or without 1–2 minute lobes, awned from the tip or between the lobes; awn with once or twice geniculate twisted column and a straight or curved bristle.
Palea membranous. 0–2-nerved, longer or shorter than the lemma. Lodicles 3 or 2.
Formerly in the genus Stipa. This key includes species of Amelichoa, which were also formerly included in Stipa. Added K.L.Gibbons 24 Feb 2020.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Panicle pyramidal when mature and spreading, with whorled branches, the branches and pedicles plumose with fine hairs mostly 0.5 mm or longer | 2 |
| Panicle linear-cylindrical to ovate-cylindrical, the branches and pedicels glabrous, scabrous or pubescent with most hairs less than 0.3 mm long | 3 |
| 2 | Branches of the panicle plumose with hairs 1.5–2 mm long; culms glabrous; glumes pilose on the nerves, scabrous between the nerves | Austrostipa elegantissima |
| Branches of the panicle plumose with hairs c. 0.5 mm long; culms pubescent around the nodes; glumes scabrous overall
Back to 1 | Austrostipa tuckeri |
| 3 | Culms branched | 4 |
| Culms not branched
Back to 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Callus ± 0.5 mm long, sharp; palea more than 60% the length of the lemma | 5 |
| Callus ± 0.5 mm long, blunt; palea ± 60% the length of the lemma
Back to 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Bristle quite flattened, distinctly broader at its base than the column, strongly curved; column scabrous | Austrostipa platychaeta |
| Bristle round-triangular in cross section, as broad as or narrower at the base than the column, straight; column pubescent
Back to 4 | Austrostipa acrociliata |
| 6 | Lemma glabrous, 1.8–2.5 mm long | Austrostipa ramosissima |
| Lemma with scattered, short, white hairs 2.7–4 mm long
Back to 4 | Austrostipa verticillata |
| 7 | Lemma with acute, hairy lobes 1.5–3 mm long at the apex; leaves pungent-pointed; coastal species | Austrostipa stipoides |
| Lemma with lobes absent or less than 0.8 mm long; leaves not pungent pointed; habitats various
Back to 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Awn falcate, the bristle curved | 9 |
| Awn twice bent or almost straight, the bristle straight
Back to 7 | 15 |
| 9 | Awn long-pubescent or plumose with spreading hairs, most of which are 0.25–0.8(–1.5) mm long | 10 |
| Awn scabrous or puberulous with appressed hairs, most of which are ± 0.2 mm long
Back to 8 | 11 |
| 10 | Leaves with blade 2–6 mm wide (0.8–2 mm diam. if rolled), scabrous to hirsute | Austrostipa drummondii |
| Leaves with blade usually rolled, 0.3–0.6 mm diam., densely hirsute
Back to 9 | Austrostipa trichophylla |
| 11 | Bristle strongly flattened, broader at its base than the column; rhizomatous | Austrostipa platychaeta |
| Bristle round-triangular in cross section, as broad as or narrower at the base than the column; not rhizomatous
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 12 | Leaves coarse: sheaths (3–)4.5–9 mm wide; blades 1–3 mm wide, rolled and erect or expanded and flexuous | 13 |
| Leaves fine; sheaths 2–5 mm wide; blades 0.6–1.2 mm wide, rolled
Back to 11 | 14 |
| 13 | Panicle contracted, usually dense; innovations mostly intravaginal; nodes mostly concealed by the sheaths | Austrostipa nitida |
| Panicle spreading, usually sparse; innovations mostly extravaginal; nodes exserted and conspicuous
Back to 12 | Austrostipa nodosa |
| 14 | Leaves with sheath softly pilose; blade with dense, long (± 0.5 mm) spreading hairs | Austrostipa trichophylla |
| Leaves with sheath glabrous, scabrous or puberulous; blade glabrous, scabrous or shortly pubescent with most hairs less than 0.5 mm long
Back to 12 | Austrostipa scabra |
| 15 | Lemma with a coma of hairs at apex | 16 |
| Coma absent
Back to 8 | 28 |
| 16 | Lemma glabrous or almost so, surface smooth and shining | Austrostipa nullanulla |
| Lemma pubescent, surface granular
Back to 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Glumes acuminate, very broad and inflated around the floret, sharply narrowing at the tip; floret broad-turbinate to oblong-cylindrical; callus sturdy and strongly curved or hooked, relatively short (usually 10–30% the length of the floret); awn relatively short (usually 4.5–6.5(–8) times the length of the floret); panicle expanded, usually with long branches | 18 |
| Glumes acute or narrow-acuminate, not inflated around the floret, tapering gradually to the tip; floret cylindrical to narrow-turbinate; callus fine or sturdy, straight, only the proximal naked tip bent, relatively long (usually 25–40% the length of the floret); awn often relatively long (usually 5–)6–13 times the length of the floret); panicle contracted or expanded, usually with short branches
Back to 16 | 22 |
| 18 | Ligule 2–8 mm long, usually more than 3.5 mm long; palea with a deep adaxial central groove; lemma involute | Austrostipa setacea |
| Ligule ± 2 mm long; palea convex on the adaxial surface or only very slightly depressed between the nerves; lemma convolute
Back to 17 | 19 |
| 19 | Coma 2–5 mm long; lower leaves pubescent or hirsute | Austrostipa blackii |
| Coma ± 2 mm long; if 2 mm long then lower leaves scabrous or glabrous, not pubescent
Back to 18 | 20 |
| 20 | Mature floret fusiform; callus 0.4–1(–1.5) mm long, very short relative to the ((5.8–)6.5–8) mm long floret; ligule 0.8–1.5 mm long | Austrostipa aristiglumis |
| Mature floret oblong-cylindrical; callus 1–2.5 mm long, long relative to the (4.5–)8.5(–9.5) mm long floret; ligule 0.3–0.5 mm long (not including auricles)
Back to 19 | 21 |
| 21 | Coma 0.8–1.3 mm long; floret 4.5–6 mm long (excluding awn), gibbous with an eccentric awn; awn 25–35(–50) mm long | Austrostipa gibbosa |
| Coma (1.2–)1.4–2 mm long; floret 6–8.5(–9.5) mm long (excluding awn); awn centric, 30–60 mm long
Back to 20 | Austrostipa bigeniculata |
| 22 | Floret with a dense and obvious coma 2–3.5 mm long | 23 |
| Floret with a coma ± 1.5 mm long, often obscure
Back to 17 | 25 |
| 23 | Column of the awn villous with hairs 0.5–1 mm long | Austrostipa stuposa |
| Column of the awn scabrous or pubescent with hairs ± 0.3 mm long
Back to 22 | 24 |
| 24 | Lower glume 11–15 mm long; lemma 5.5–6.5 mm long | Austrostipa wakoolica |
| Lower glume 16–20 mm long; lemma 7–8.2 mm long
Back to 23 | Austrostipa metatoris |
| 25 | Hairs on the lemma continued evenly to the apex, white or slightly reddish brown at maturity; floret linear-cylindrical to narrow-turbinate with no neck | 26 |
| Hairs on the top 1–2 mm of the lemma abruptly shorter by c. 50% than those on the lower part of the lemma, reddish brown early in development; floret broad turbinate to broad oblong-cylindrical with a neck
Back to 22 | 27 |
| 26 | Lower glume 15–23 mm long; column of the awn villous with hairs 0.5–1 mm long; leaf sheaths usually hirsute or pubescent especially near the base; panicle 20–35 cm long | Austrostipa stuposa |
| Lower glume ± 17 mm long; column of the awn scabrous, pubescent or villous; if villous then leaf sheaths scabrous or minutely puberulous and panicle to 12 cm long; near the coast
Back to 25 | Austrostipa flavescens |
| 27 | Lower glume 8–12 mm long; column of the awn scabrous with hairs 0.05–0.1 mm long | Austrostipa puberula |
| Lower glume 15–25 mm long; column of the awn pubescent with hairs 0.2–0.4 mm long
Back to 25 | Austrostipa eremophila |
| 28 | Column of the awn pubescent to plumose with hairs more than 0.3 mm long | 29 |
| Column of the awn scabrous or puberulous with hairs less than 0.3 mm long
Back to 15 | 31 |
| 29 | Column hairs 1–4 mm long, slightly appressed, distributed mainly along the ribs and thereby appearing to spiral with the spiralling column; floret 7.5–8.5 mm long | Austrostipa mollis |
| Column hairs 0.3–1 mm long, spreading, evenly distributed round the column and therefore not appearing to spiral
Back to 28 | 30 |
| 30 | Glumes glabrous except on the nerves; awn 70–90 mm long; leaves scabrous or glabrous; floret 9–11.5 mm long | Austrostipa semibarbata |
| Glumes pubescent; awn 35–45 mm long; leaves hirsute; floret 5.5–7 mm long
Back to 29 | Austrostipa densiflora |
| 31 | Palea with a deep adaxial central groove; lemma involute; ligule usually more than 3 mm long | Austrostipa setacea |
| Palea convex on the adaxial surface; lemma convolute; ligule usually less than 3 mm long
Back to 28 | 32 |
| 32 | Lemma glabrous for varying lengths below the apex, surface often tuberculate, especially at the apex; nerves of the glumes heavily overlaid with sclerenchyma forming obvious ridges | 33 |
| Lemma pubescent overall, hairs occasionally sparser at the apex, surface smooth or granular; glume nerves visible but not raised noticeably above the glume surface
Back to 31 | 36 |
| 33 | Spikelets 8–12 per panicle; column of the awn 55–70 mm long; subalpine grass | Austrostipa nivicola |
| Spikelets more than 12 per panicle; column of the awn less than 55 mm long
Back to 32 | 34 |
| 34 | Lower glume ± 15 mm long | Austrostipa rudis |
| Lower glume ± 17 mm long
Back to 33 | 35 |
| 35 | Ligule truncate, 0.4–1 mm long; glumes truncate; lemma surface strongly tuberculate at the apex; palea 50–70% the length of the lemma, obtuse | Austrostipa pubescens |
| Ligule obtuse, 1–3 mm long; glume tips broad-obtuse and membranous; lemma surface granular; palea equal in length to the lemma, acute
Back to 34 | Austrostipa pubinodis |
| 36 | Callus ± 0.5 mm long, blunt; palea ± 60% the length of the lemma | 37 |
| Callus ± 0.5 mm long, sharp; palea equal in length to the lemma
Back to 32 | Austrostipa acrociliata |
| 37 | Lemma glabrous, 1.8–2.5 mm long | Austrostipa ramosissima |
| Lemma with scattered short white hairs, 2.7–4 mm long
Back to 36 | Austrostipa verticillata |
