Triodia mitchellii Benth. APNI* Description: Tussock and hummock-forming perennials to 2 m high and 3 m diam.
Leaves with ligule a ciliate rim with hairs to 1.5 mm long; orifice pubescent or silky with hairs to 6 mm long, hairs often matted with resin; blade folded, sharply pointed, resin-producing.
Inflorescence open or compact, 8–26 cm long, to 6 cm wide; rachis scabrous, glabrous. Spikelets 7–12 mm long, florets 5–9, uppermost floret often reduced; pedicels 0.5–13 mm long, scabrous, glabrous. Glumes 3.5–6 mm long, acute to truncate, smooth or scabrous, glabrous. Lemmas 4.5–6 mm long, 3-lobed, lower 75% silky with hairs to 1 mm long, silky toward margins with hairs to 2 mm long; lobes 0.5–1.5 mm long, acute to obtuse, margins ciliolate; callus silky with hairs to 1 mm long; palea subequal to lemma, narrow, acute, 2-keeled, keels ciliolate, smooth, glabrous.
Flowering: Flowers in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Sand plains on the NWS CWS NWP; Qld. Two varieties are recognised in N.S.W.
NSW subdivisions: NWS, CWS, NWP
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993) and Grasses of New South Wales, Fourth Edition (2008).
| | Key to the varieties | |
| 1 | Lower leaves with sheath silky with hairs to 4 mm long; upper sheaths with scattered hairs to 3 mm long or glabrous; sheath margins fimbriate with hairs to 4 mm long. Inflorescence paniculate open, lanceolate; axils sometimes pubescent with hairs to 3 mm long. Glumes 4–6 mm long apical region sometimes scabrous, margins scabrous. Lemma 5–6 mm long, lower 75% silky with hairs to 1.5 mm long, silky toward margins with hairs to 1 mm long; lobes to 0.5–1.5 mm long | var. pubivagina |
| Leaves with sheath glabrous, upper margin ciliate with hairs to 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence compact, linear; axils glabrous. Glumes 3.5–5 mm long, lateral nerves often scabrous, margins ciliolate. Lemma c. 4.5 mm long, lower 75% silky with hairs to 1 mm long, silky toward margins with hairs to 0.5 mm long; lobes to 0.5 mm long | var. breviloba |
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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