Lachnagrostis adamsonii subsp. adamsonii
Annual or short-lived perennial; culms 1–1.5 mm wide, unbranched. Leaf blades usually 1 mm wide or less when unflattened. Spikelets 2.5–3.5(–3.7) mm long, green to purplish-green; rachilla extension 0.8–1.7(–2) mm long; lemma 2–2.5(–2.8) mm long, entire or toothed with minute setae to 0.2 mm long, back and laterals glabrous except for the callus, or with occasional to some hairs 0.3 mm long; awn arising from 65–95% of the lemma length from its base, 1.2–3(–3.3) mm long; dehisced anthers (0.4–)0.5–0.7 mm long.
VVP, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT. Moderately to strongly saline sites (ephemeral swamps, depressions and drainage lines), between Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula in the east and around Cavendish to the west of the Grampians. Does not tolerate prolonged inundation.
The occurrence of scattered hairs on the backs of the lemmas in about half the populations of L. adamsonii subsp. adamsonii is contrary to the original description of the taxon, where the lemmas were stated to be glabrous (Vickery 1941). Apart from this feature, morphological characteristics of inflorescences and spikelets between glabrous- and hairy-lemma populations are not significantly different. Populations with hairs on the lemmas are more prevalent in the western part of the taxon’s range while those with completely glabrous lemmas are most common in the east.
Brown, A.J. (2015). Subspeciation in Lachnagrostis adamsonii (Poaceae). Muelleria 34: 15–22.