Tufts about 50 cm with stiff, wiry, divergent culms each branched from upper glabrous, swollen nodes; branching extravaginal, cataphylls cream, shining. Leaf-sheath striate, finely scabrid, purplish, terminating in fine twisting hairs, c. 2 mm. Ligule c. 0.4 mm, membranous, shortly ciliate. Leaf-blade 6-16 cm ×c. 1 mm, involute, abaxially glabrous, adaxially densely toothed with some longer hairs. Culm rigid, cane-like, branches above subtended by loose sheaths, internodes finely scabrid. Panicle 8-12 cm, narrow, spike-like or ± loose; branches ± erect or sometimes slightly spreading, branches and pedicels scabrid. Spikelets 9-15 mm. Glumes unequal, < lemma, keeled, 1-nerved, acuminate to shortly (2 mm) awned; lower glume 5-7 mm extensively prickle-toothed, upper 7-9 mm ± glabrous. Lemma 4.5-8.5 mm, narrow-linear, convolute, purple-mottled, smooth but scabrid on midnerve above, tipped by 3 spreading straight awns 6-15 mm, lacking columns. Callus c. 1 mm, densely short-hairy. Palea 2 mm, < lemma. Lodicules 2, c. 2 mm, nerved, glabrous, dentate. Stamens 3, anthers 1.3-1.5 mm, shortly tailed. Gynoecium: ovary 1 mm; stigma-styles 2 mm. Caryopsis not seen. Fig. 18.
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Loosely tufted perennials. Culms 37–120 cm high, branched or strongly branched, terete or compressed; internodes smooth, glabrous. Leaves: ligule 0.5–1 mm long; blade flat or usually conduplicate, to 12 cm long, to 2 mm wide. Inflorescences 8–27 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, densely congested and spicate or loosely contracted; branches loosely appressed, to 5 cm long, bearing spikelets from base. Glumes normal, glabrous; lower glume 4.5–6 mm long, acute, entire, 1 (sub 3)-nerved; upper glume 5–7 mm long, obtuse or acute, notched or entire, aristulate, 1-nerved. Lemma 6–10 mm long, distinctly longer than both glumes, convolute (rarely appearing involute), smooth or punctate or scabrous, without an articulation or pseudoarticulation; column absent; awns subequal, 7–20 mm long; median awn straight or gently curved; lateral awns terete. Caryopsis with a slight depression or terete, 5–8.7 mm long, more than twice embryo length.
Grows in Acacia, Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla), Bluegrass downs (Dichanthium spp.), Eucalyptus, Eremophila and Triodia communities, and rainforest fringes on clays, redearths, sandy and alluvial soils.
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