Citation: Steudel, Synops. Pl. glumac. 1:279 (1854).

Synonymy: Poa speciosa Roemer & Schultes, Syst. Veg. 2:573 (1817).

Common name: Handsome lovegrass.

Description:
Perennial 15-140 cm high, with a glabrous unthickened base, often glaucous or pruinose; culms mostly simple, 3-6-noded; leaves mostly glabrous and smooth; sheaths glabrous or bearded with silky hairs to 4 mm long at the orifice, sometimes ciliate on both margins; blades to 22 cm long, flat or convolute or involute, mealy-scabrous on the upper surface and margins.

Panicle 9-47 x 1-3 (rarely to 11) cm, contracted and usually spike-like (rarely open), continuous or interrupted, sometimes drooping; primary branches to 15 cm long, spikelet-bearing from the base or naked in the lower third, secondary branches to 5 cm long; spikelets 4.5-50 x 1-2 mm, closely 15-145-flowered, linear or linear-lanceolate, lead-coloured; rhachilla persistent, straight or weakly flexuose, internodes 0.2-0.3 mm long; glumes lanceolate, acute or subobtuse, scaberulous on the keel and margins; the lower 1-1.7 mm and the upper 1.5-1.8 mm long; lemmas 1.5-2 mm long, ovate or lanceolate, acute or subobtuse, scaberulous on the keel near the apex or smooth; lateral nerves prominent in about the lower half; paleas less than half as long as their lemmas, spathulate, obtuse or narrowly truncate; keels scaberulous in the upper part; anthers 2; grain compressed laterally and ovate or turgid and ellipsoid, biconvex in profile or flattened on the back.

Published illustration: Lazarides (1970) The grasses of central Australia, pl. 37c.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: LE.   All mainland States except Vic. Conservation status: native Flowering time: recorded only in Jan. and Aug.

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

Biology: Not economically significant.

Author: Not yet available