Whiteochloa biciliata Lazarides. Brunonia 1: 85 (1977).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Panicoideae. Paniceae.
Common name:
Mauve Sandgrass.
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: Australia:
Western Australia: Northern
Province: Cockatoo Sands near Kununurra, 8 Mar 1963, Lazarides
6791 (HT: CANB; IT: BRI, K, L, NT, PERTH,
US).
Key references
(books and floras): [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia.
Derivation:
from the Latin bis (twice), cilium (hair) and -ata (possessing). Upper glume
densely ciliate on the marginal pair of nerves.
Habit. Annual.
Culms 40–110 cm tall, 6 -noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths smooth or
scaberulous, glabrous on surface or hairy. Ligule a fringed membrane, a
ciliolate membrane, 0.2–0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 5–10(–19) cm long, 2–3(–5) mm
wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, glabrous or indumented.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle ovate, 8–15 cm long, 3–9 cm wide.
Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, the lower floret barren
(rarely male), the upper fertile, comprising 1 basal sterile florets,
comprising 1 fertile floret(s), without rachilla extension, oblong, laterally
compressed, 2.5–3.8 mm long. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile
floret, or elongated between glumes, or elongated below proximal fertile
floret.
Glumes. Glumes
dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, membranous, keeled,
1-keeled, 3 -nerved. Lower glume surface indumented. Lower glume apex muticous
or mucronate. Upper glume ovate, 2.4–3.7 mm long, membranous, without keels, 5
-nerved. Upper glume surface smooth or asperulous, glabrous or indumented.
Upper glume apex mucronate. Florets. Basal sterile florets 1, male, with
palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret 100 % of length of spikelet, scarious, 5
-nerved, mucronate.
Fertile lemma 1.7–2.3
mm long, without keel. Lemma apex mucronate. Anthers 3. Grain 1.5–2 mm long.
Continental
Distribution: Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Western Australia.
Western Australia: Gardner,
Fitzgerald.
Notes. In
tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands. Flowers Mar.-Aug.
