POACEAE  

Perennial, tufted, basal sheaths sometimes swollen into bulbs. Leaf blade expanded or almost filiform; ligule an unfringed membrane. Inflorescence a panicle, contracted, spike-like, dense and cylindrical, often interrupted; spikelets solitary, pedicelled. Spikelet 3.5-4.0 mm long, shining, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes; glumes +/- equal to unequal, +/- equal to longer than spikelet, lower sometimes shorter than spikelet, herbaceous, oblanceolate, linear or lanceolate-linear, acute, keeled, hairy or glabrous, with hyaline margins, sometimes mucronate; lower glume usually 1-nerved; upper glume 1-3-nerved. Florets 2-4, bisexual or uppermost floret reduced and sterile; lemma 3-5 mm long, longer than glumes, similar in texture to glumes, 3-nerved, keeled, acute to acuminate, entire, sometimes with a mucro or awned (usually minute); palea projecting and conspicuous in mature spikelet, linear or narrowly lanceolate, subacute, 2-keeled, 2-toothed, thinner in texture than lemma, hyaline. Lodicules 2, hyaline, glabrous. Stamen 3. Ovary glabrous; styles distinct, plumose. x= 7 (aneuploids, high polyploidy).

Annual, tufted. Leaf blade linear-lanceolate; ligule a fringe of long hairs. Inflorescence a panicle, rather dense and contracted, branches single; rachis and branches grooved, densely villous, with a mixture of long, villous hairs and shorter, gland-tipped hairs; spikelets shortly pedicelled or subsessile, clustered on somewhat short branches. Spikelet not noticeably compressed, subglobose, disarticulating between glumes; glumes +/- equal, +/- equalling spikelet, subacute, 9-11-nerved, hairy, with long thin hairs mixed with shorter club-shaped, glandular hairs, awnless. Florets 3-6, bisexual, uppermost floret reduced, sterile, usually awnless; lowerlemma coriaceous, becoming indurated, densely hairy in lower half between nerves, 9-nerved, apex incurved and emarginate, each margin is lobed, sometimes with 1 or 2 shorter additional lobes, 2-5-awned, lobes usually black in colour, marginal lobes with large, flat awns, median lobes with smaller awns; awns straight, hairy; palea elliptic, thinly coriaceous, shallowly concave dorsally, keels somewhat thickened, densely fimbriate with short stiff bristles, margin membranous, inflexed, long villous at base. Lodicules 2, somewhat fleshy, wedge-shaped, with a somewhat truncate apex. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous, obovate-cuneate; styles 2, plumose. Caryopsis obovoid.

Perennial, strongly rhizomatous. Leaf blade narrow, leaves mainly basal; ligule a fringed membrane. Inflorescence a narrow, silky, white or silvery, often spiciform panicle, branches of many very short racemes, rachis tough; spikelets paired, similar, unequally pedicelled, similar, each supported on a slender pedicel. Spikelet lanceolate to oblong, +/- terete, enveloped in long hairs from callus and glumes; glumes equal, similar, as long as spikelet, membranous, long, silky, hairy towards base, awnless. Florets 2; lower floret sterile, rarely male, reduced to a hyaline lemma, shorter than spikelet, awnless; upper floret bisexual; lemma less firm than glumes, hyaline, lanceolate to oblong, shorter than spikelet, glabrous, awnless; callus short, truncate, hairy with long, white or silvery, silky hairs almost concealing spikelet; palea present or reduced. Stamens 1 or 2. Ovary glabrous. Caryopsis ellipsoid. x= 5, 10 (polyploidy).

Pedicelled spikelet 3-8(-10) mm long, usually longer than sessile spikelet, narrowly lanceolate, acute, hairy or glabrous, male or sterile; callus 0; lower glume awnless or awned; upper glume awnless. x= 10, 15 (polyploidy).

Annual or perennial, tufted. Leaf blade linear, expanded, pubescent or pilose; ligule an unfringed or fringed membrane. Inflorescence a panicle, contracted, often dense, sometimes almost spike-like, oblong or interrupted; spikelets solitary, pedicelled, pedicel terete, pilose. Spikelet laterally compressed, falling with glumes; glumes +/- equal, +/- as long as to longer than spikelet, membranous, dissimilar, keeled; lower glume lanceolate, hairy on keels and margins, 1-3-nerved, awned; awn half as long as body of glume; upper glume larger, elliptic-lanceolate or ovate, 3-nerved, with 2 prominent lateral nerves, hairy on keel and margins, shortly mucronate or awned; awn as long as body of glume. Florets 2, a brief rachilla extension often present; lower floret bisexual; lemma firmer in texture than glumes, shiny, ovate, rounded on back, obscurely 3-5-nerved, obtuse or acute, awnless; upper floret specialised in form, male or sterile, lemma shorter to +/- as long as lower lemma, lanceolate, hyaline or membranous, glabrous, awned from back near apex; awn short, stout, hooked, usually geniculate, slightly twisted; palea smaller than lemma, narrow-lanceolate. Lodicules 2, delicate. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous; styles distinct, plumose above. Caryopsis narrowly ellipsoid. x= 4, 7 (polyploidy).