Dichelachne hirtella
N.G.WalshNarrowly tufted annual or perennial with culms erect, mostly to c. 60(–c. 150) cm high. Leaves smooth or scabrous, glabrous to shortly pubescent; blade flat or weakly folded, to 15 cm long, 1–4 mm wide; ligule membranous, truncate, to 1.5 mm long. Inflorescence a moderately to quite dense, cylindric panicle, mostly 8–15 cm long; glumes narrowly acute, (6.5–)7–8(–10) mm long, subequal, rarely the lower up to 1.5 mm shorter than the upper; floret slender, subequal to lower glume, 6–8 mm long; lemma scabrous-pubescent with hairs 0.2–0.3 mm long, sometimes subglabrous near base, rarely almost smooth and glabrous throughout (see note below), post-awn lobe 1.2–2 mm long; awn mostly 15–30 mm long, column pubescent (rarely merely scabrous) with hairs to 0.3 mm long, strongly twisted. Flowers mainly Oct.–Jan.
Wim, VVP, GipP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGU, HSF, HNF, VAlp. Also NSW. Scattered in drier, often rocky country from the northern Grampians in the west to central Gippsland (Macalister River catchment) in the east, extending north to the NSW border in the Walwa-Corryong area.
In general appearance, very like D. rara (with which it was previously included) and occasionally occurring with it, but readily distinguishable on spikelet characters.
A subalpine variant, perhaps warranting taxonomic recognition, has been recorded along stream margins on the Dargo High Plains, on the Howitt Plains and on Mt Dawson. It is distinguished by having the lemmas viritually smooth and the awns merely scabrous in the lower part.
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
