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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Poaceae
Lophochloa cristata

Citation: Hylander, Bot. Notis. 3:355 (1953).

Synonymy: Festuca cristata L., Sp. Pl. 63(1753); F. phleoides Villars in Gilib., Syst. Pl. Europ. 1, Fl. Delph. 7 (1785); Koeleria phleoides (Villars) Pers., Syn. Pl. 1:97 (1805); L. phleoides (Villars) Reichb., Fl. Germ. Excurs. 42 (1830).

Common name: Annual cats tail.

Description:
Ascending annual, with somewhat hairy leaves.

Panicle dense, spike-like, 1-15 cm long, when large slightly lobed, cylindrical or oblong, silvery; spikelets 3-4 mm long, 4-6-flowered; glumes sprinkled with some long hairs, shorter than the flowers, subequal, c. 3-4 mm long; lemmas c. 3 mm long, 5-nerved, papillose or almost smooth on the back, notched at the summit and with a straight awn 1-2 mm long, rising between the 2 teeth of the notch; palea about three-quarters as long.

Published illustration: Burbidge (1970) Australian grasses 3:pl. 53.

Distribution:  A weed of disturbed places.

  All States except the N.T.   Native to the Mediterranean.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: Sept. — Jan.


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

Biology: Resembles Polypogon monspeliensis which is more bristly and has 1-flowered spikelets.

Author: Not yet available


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