Common name
False Hairgrass
Pussy Tail

Derivation
Pentaschistis (Nees) Spach, Hist. Nat. Veg. Phan. 13: 164 (1846); from the Greek pente (five) and schistos (split, cut), alluding to cleft lemmas.

airoides- Inflorescences resemble those of Aira.

Published in
Fl. Capensis 7: 511 (1899).

Habit
Annual or perennial, tufted, short-lived. Glands raised crateriform. Culms 6–35 cm tall, 2–4-noded. Lateral branches simple. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 3–6 cm long, 1–3 mm wide, flaccid, glandular. Leaf-blade surface hirsute, with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle, comprising 30–100 fertile spikelets. Panicle open, ovate, 2–6 cm long, 2–5 cm wide. Panicle branches glabrous or puberulous, glabrous in axils or pubescent in axils or bearded in axils.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels filiform, 75–150% of length of fertile spikelet, glandular, glabrous or pubescent. Fertile spikelets at least 3-flowered, comprising 2 fertile florets, without rhachilla extension, cuneate, laterally compressed, 2–3 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident, pubescent.

Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar, shiny, gaping. Lower glume elliptic, 2.5–5 mm long, equalling upper glume, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved, midnerve smooth or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic, 2.5–5 mm long, 160–200% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved, midnerve smooth or scaberulous. Upper glume lateral nerves absent. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Fertile lemma oblong, 1.5–2.5 mm long, membranous, 5–9-nerved. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex lobed, 2-fid, truncate, 3-awned. Median (principal) awn from a sinus, geniculate, 5–8 mm long overall, with a twisted column. Lateral lemma awns present, arising on inner edge of lobes, 2–3 mm long, exserted or equalling glumes, shorter than principal. Palea linear or oblong. Lodicules 2, cuneate, fleshy, smooth. Anthers 3, 0.3–1 mm long, pallid or yellow. Grain with adherent pericarp, 1.1 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Africa, Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria.

Western Australia: Austin, Irwin, Drummond, Dale, Menzies, Eyre, Roe, Avon, Coolgardie. South Australia: Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, South-eastern. New South Wales: Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Central-Western Slopes, South-Western Slopes, South-Western Plains. Victoria: Murray Mallee, Lowan Mallee, Wimmera, Grampians, Riverina, Midlands, Victorian Volcanic Plain, East Gippsland.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Danthonioideae

Notes
Widespread annual weed in the temperate southern half of Australia, introduced from South Africa. Flowers Aug.–Dec.