Common name
Antelope Grass

Derivation
Echinochloa P.Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr. 53 (1812); from the Greek echinos (hedgehog) and chloe (grass), alluding to the echinate inflorescence branches.

pyramidalis- from the Latin pyramis (pyramid) and -ale (pertaining to). Panicle pyramid-shaped.

Published in
Contr. U.S. Natl Herb. 18: 345 (1917).

Habit
Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Stolons absent. Culms erect, reed-like, 100–400 cm tall, 5–8-noded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface or hispid. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 1–4 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades 1.8–70 cm long, 2–25 mm wide, rigid, glaucous. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes, exserted. Racemes simply spaced or closely spaced, ascending, unilateral, 3–20 cm long, simple or secondarily branched. Central inflorescence axis 8–40 cm long. Rhachis angular, glabrous or pilose on surface. Spikelet packing irregular, 4–6-rowed.

Spikelets
Spikelets clustered at each node or in pairs. Pedicels scabrous. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret male, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, lanceolate or elliptic or ovate, slightly dorsally compressed, gibbous, acute, 2.5–4 mm long, 1.3–1.5 mm wide, falling entire. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret.

Glumes
Glumes dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, clasping, 1–1.5 mm long, 30–40% of length of spikelet, membranous, 3–5-nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous or hispidulous. Lower glume apex acute, muticous or mucronate. Upper glume ovate, 2.9–3.9 mm long, membranous, 5–7-nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous or hispidulous. Upper glume apex acute, muticous or mucronate.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume, ovate, 2.8–3.8 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5–7-nerved, glabrous or hispidulous, acute or acuminate, muticous or awned (rarely). Awn of lower sterile floret 0–3 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate, gibbous, 2–3.7 mm long, cartilaginous or indurate, much thinner above, of similar consistency on margins, glossy, 5-nerved. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute, laterally pinched, mucronate. Palea reflexed at apex, indurate. Anthers 3.

Continental Distribution:
Africa, Temperate Asia, Australasia, North America, South America.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia: Drummond, Eyre.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae

Notes
Introduced. From tropical Africa. Flowers Mar.–Oct.

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