Common name
Poverty Grass

Derivation
Eremochloa Büse, in F.A.W.Miquel, Pl. Jungh. 367 (1854); from the Greek eremos (solitary) and chloa (grass), alluding to the single terminal spike.

bimaculata- from the Latin bis (twice), macula (spot) and -ata (possessing).

Published in
Monogr. Phan. 6: 265 (1889).

Habit
Perennial, densely tufted. Rootstock evident. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 30–80 cm tall, 2–3-noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous or pubescent or bearded. Lateral branches simple. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 0.4–1 mm long. Leaf-blades conduplicate, 5–12 cm long, 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate, hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

Inflorescence
Rames single, arcuate, unilateral, 4–11 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes, glabrous on surface, glabrous on margins. Rame internodes clavate, 2.5–3 mm long. Rame internode tip crateriform.

Spikelets
Spikelets appressed, in pairs, one sessile and fertile and the other (companion) spikelet pedicelled. Pedicels narrowly elliptic, foliaceous, 3 mm long. Companion spikelets represented by barren pedicels or rudimentary, containing empty lemmas, elliptic. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret male, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, oblong, dorsally compressed, compressed strongly, obtuse, 4–5.5 mm long, 2 mm wide, falling entire, deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus glabrous or pilose, base truncate, with central boss, attached transversely.

Glumes
Glumes dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma, shiny. Lower glume elliptic or oblong, 100% of length of spikelet, chartaceous, 2-keeled, winged on keel, winged narrowly, winged near apex or above, 7-nerved. Lower glume surface flat, glabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic or oblong, 4 mm long, membranous or chartaceous, 1-keeled, winged on keel, winged below, 3-nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, 3.5 mm long, hyaline, ciliate on margins, obtuse or acute. Palea of lower sterile floret hyaline. Palea of lower sterile floret 3.5 mm long, 100% of length of lemma. Fertile lemma elliptic, 3–4 mm long, hyaline. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 3.5 mm long, 100% of length of lemma, hyaline. Anthers 3, 2–3 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Temperate Asia, Tropical Asia, Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Queensland, New South Wales.

Queensland: Cook, Burke, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Port Curtis, Leichhardt, Burnett, Wide Bay, Darling Downs, Moreton, Mitchell, Warrego, Maranoa. New South Wales: North Coast, Northern Tablelands, North-Western Slopes.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Andropogoneae

Notes
Native. Occurs from northern N.S.W. through Qld in the open forest and woodland country. Extends to New Guinea and India, Burma and Thailand. Flowers Oct.–May.