Common name: Porcupine Grass
Triodia scariosa N.T.Burb. APNI* Description: Tussock and hummock-forming perennials to c. 1 m high and 2 m diam.
Leaves with ligule a ciliate rim with hairs to 0.5 mm long; orifice glabrous; blade folded, sharply pointed, glabrous.
Inflorescence open or compact, 9–30 cm long, to 2.5 cm wide, exserted; rachis scabrous, glabrous. Spikelets 10–18 mm long, florets 5–10, upper floret often reduced; pedicels 1–12 mm long, scabrous, glabrous. Glumes 5–10 mm long, acute or obtuse, keeled, often lightly scabrous, glabrous. Lemmas 4.5–7 mm long, emarginate often with a short mucro, lower 75% with hairs to 0.5 mm long; callus with hairs to 1.5 mm long. Palea subequal to lemma, narrow, acute to truncate, 2-keeled, lower 50% silky or pilose with hairs to 1 mm long; keels ciliolate.
Flowering: Flowers in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence:
NSW subdivisions: NC, NT, CT, NWS, CWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. S.A. W.A.
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 subspecies | |
| 1 | Mature spikelets with divergent lemmas usually <5 mm wide. Lemma apex emarginate with very short mucro; lowest lemma usually <6 mm long, lower 75% silky with hairs to 1.5 mm long; callus silky with hairs to 0.5 mm long | subsp. yelarbonensis |
| Mature spikelets with divergent lemmas usually >5 mm wide. Lemma apex emarginate with mucro to 1 mm long; lowest lemma usually >6 mm long, lower 50% silky with hairs to 1 mm long, silky toward margins with hairs to 1.5 mm long; callus silky with hairs to 1.5 mm long | subsp. scariosa |
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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