Common name
Golden Beard Grass
Ribbon Grass

Derivation
Chrysopogon Trin., Fund. Agrost. 187 (1820), nom. conserv.; from the Greek chrysos (golden) and pogon (beard), alluding to the golden hairs on the inflorescence.

pallidus- Latin for pale-coloured. Spikelets or grain pale-green.

Published in
Nom. Bot. 2nd edn, 1: 360 (1840).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Basal leaf sheaths persistent and investing base of culm, with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect, 100–150 cm tall, 3–5-noded. Lateral branches sparsely branched, arising from mid culm and upper culm. Leaf-sheaths wider than blade at the collar, smooth or scaberulous, glabrous on surface or pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–0.7 mm long. Leaf-blades conduplicate or convolute, 20–40 cm long, 3–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 5–7 secondary nerves. Leaf-blade surface papillose, glabrous or pubescent. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate, filiform.

Inflorescence
Panicle open, lanceolate or ovate, 18–30 cm long, 3–6 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 5–15 -nate, whorled at most nodes, 5–10 cm long. Panicle branches capillary, scabrous, villous, hairy at tip, bearded in axils. Rames bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete.

Spikelets
Spikelets in pairs, one sessile and fertile and the other (companion) spikelet pedicelled. Pedicels linear, flattened, 4–7 mm long, glabrous or bearing a few hairs, hairy above. Companion spikelets developed, male, lanceolate, 11–14 mm long, as long as fertile, separately deciduous. Companion spikelet glumes chartaceous, 7-nerved, scabrous, acute, one glume awned. Companion spikelet glumes with 5.5–12 mm long awn. Companion spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes, muticous. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret sterile, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, lanceolate or oblanceolate, laterally compressed, 10–13 mm long, falling entire, deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate, curved, 4–5.5 mm long, pilose, base pungent. Spikelet callus hairs tawny, 1.2–2.5 mm long.

Glumes
Glumes dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong, equalling spikelet, cartilaginous, 5–9-nerved. Lower glume surface scabrous, rough above. Lower glume apex entire or dentate, 2-fid, truncate, muticous or awned. Lower glume awn 0–9.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate, 1-keeled, midnerve scabrous. Upper glume surface smooth or asperulous. Upper glume apex obtuse, awned. Upper glume awn 11–18 mm long.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret obovate, 6.5 mm long, hyaline, 2-nerved, ciliate on margins, emarginate or obtuse. Fertile lemma linear, 5.5–6.3 mm long, hyaline, 3-nerved. Lemma margins ciliate, hairy above. Lemma apex dentate, 2-fid, 1-awned. Median (principal) awn from a sinus, geniculate, 42–70 mm long overall, with a twisted column. Column 16–21 mm long, 33–50% length of limb, hispidulous. Palea linear, 2.5–4.5 mm long. Palea surface glabrous or puberulous, hairy on flanks. Anthers 3, 3–8 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.

Western Australia: Gardner, Fitzgerald, Hall, Dampier, Canning, Keartland, Carnarvon. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Victoria River, Barkly Tableland, Central Australia North, Central Australia South. Queensland: Burke, Cook, North Kennedy, Mitchell, Maranoa.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Andropogoneae

Notes
Endemic. Fairly widespread in tropical W.A., N.T. and Qld and subtropical N.T. on sandy soils. Although drought resistant and able to withstand grazing it is only of moderate fodder value. Flowers Nov.–Jan.

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