Citation: N. Burb., Proc. Linn. Soc., Lond. 153:89 (1941).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Jointed nineawn, jointed bottle-washers.

Description:
Short-lived perennial 17-25 (rarely 10-51) cm, pubescent or pilose on most parts with simple and glandular hairs; culms sparsely branched, disarticulating at the nodes; blades involute, often scabrous to hispid, readily breaking at the junction with the sheath on maturity; panicle 5-7 x 0.5-1 (rarely 3-14 x c. 1.5) cm, spike-like, cylindrical, interrupted in the lower part or continuous, often partly enclosed in the floral sheath.

Axillary inflorescences common and cleistogamous spikelets present in the basal and upper leaf sheaths; spikelets 3- or 4-flowered with 1 floret fertile; glumes membranous with broad hyaline margins, lanceolate or oblong to ovate or elliptic, acute to broadly obtuse, erose, sometimes mucronulate, 3-7 mm long, 4-8-nerved, scabrous or glandular-pilose; lowest lemma: body c. 2.5 (rarely 1.9-3.2) mm, membranous, with ribbed nerves, bearded with hairs subequal to the body itself in length, glabrous or almost so on upper margins, ciliate on lower margins; awns 3.5-4 (rarely 2.2-5.4) mm long; palea of lowest floret: body hairy, sometimes glabrous or sparsely hairy near the apex and the base; flaps almost as wide as the body, hairy; keels scaberulous in the upper half to three-quarters, sometimes the lower hairs longer; grain c. 1.6 x c. 0.7 (rarely 1.4-2.1) mm, ellipsoid to obovoid; second floret: lemma smooth, glabrous; palea hairy; rhachilla sparsely pubescent.

Published illustration: Lazarides (1970) The grasses of Central Australia, pl. 33b.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NW, LE, NU, GT, FR, EA, EP.   All mainland States except Vic. Conservation status: native Flowering time: throughout the year.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: A valuable grazing species.

Author: Not yet available