Common Name: Windmill Grasses
Description: Tufted perennials with (usually) branched culms, nodes glabrous.
Leaves with ligule a ciliate, membranous rim; blade flat or folded.
Inflorescence a simple spike or many spikes, arranged digitately and spreading at maturity; axils bearded or pubescent.
Spikelets solitary, dorsally compressed, with 1 fertile floret and 1 or 2 reduced florets above it, disarticulating above the glumes. Glumes unequal, membranous, keeled, glabrous, 1-nerved. Lemmas not alike, lower glabrous, rounded on the back with a distinct midnerve, long-awned from the apex; the upper lemmas reduced, awned or awnless and usually without paleas. Grain dorsally compressed, embryo small.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 11 species, Australia, Africa, Asia, Cook I. Australia: 5 species (native), all mainland States.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & S. M. Hastings
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Enteropogon unispiceus
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Spikes 1–3(-4) | Enteropogon unispecius |
| Spikes usually >4 | 2 |
| 2 | Plants 60–100 cm tall, glabrous, with leaves arising from the branched culms; leaf blades often twisted and with tubercles on the base of blade and on sheath; spikes usually c. 6 | Enteropogon ramosus |
| Plants to 40 cm tall, sparsely pilose, leaves usually basal and rarely twisting; spikes 7–22
Back to 1 | Enteropogon acicularis |
|
