Common name
Winged Windmill Grass
Winged Chloris

Derivation
Oxychloris Lazarides, Nuytsia 5: 283 (1984); from the Greek oxys (sharp), and the genus Chloris in which it was formerly included; referring to the long pungent callus which distinguishes it from Chloris.

scariosa- Latin for of thin and membranous texture, but not green. In general of glumes or lemmas.

Published in
Nuytsia 5: 283 (1985).

Common synonyms
Chloris scariosa F.Muell.

Habit
Annual or perennial, tufted, short-lived. Culms 15–50 cm tall, (3–)5–7-noded. Ligule a fringed membrane, 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat or involute or convolute, 5–16 cm long, 0.5–3.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed, pilose, with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous, tuberculate-ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence digitate, with spicate branches. Spikes 3–6, unilateral, 1.8–4.5(–6) cm long. Rhachis angular.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets at least 3-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, with diminished florets at the apex, cuneate, laterally compressed, 1.8–6 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus 2.5–3 mm long, pubescent. Floret callus elongated, straight or curved, 2.5–3 mm long, pubescent, pungent.

Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar, thinner than fertile lemma, gaping. Lower glume linear or elliptic or oblong, 3–5 mm long, 60% length of upper glume, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic, 5–8 mm long, 150% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, membranous, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Upper glume lateral nerves absent. Upper glume apex emarginate.

Florets
Fertile lemma obovate, 2.5–5 mm long, coriaceous, much thinner on margins, winged on margins, 3-nerved. Lemma midnerve ciliate, hairy below. Lemma lateral nerves close to margins. Lemma margins ciliate, hairy above. Lemma hairs 1–1.5 mm long. Lemma apex dentate, 2-fid, 1-awned. Median (principal) awn subapical, 5.5–8 mm long overall. Palea elliptic or obovate, 100% of length of lemma, 2-keeled. Palea keels narrowly winged, ciliolate or ciliate. Palea surface smooth or scabrous, glabrous or pubescent. Apical sterile florets 3–5 in number. Apical sterile florets barren, in a clump, flabellate, 3–4 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas winged on margins, 1-awned. Apical sterile lemma awns subapical, (3–)4–7 mm long. Anthers 3, 0.8–1 mm long. Grain with adherent pericarp, obovoid, trigonous, 1.3–2.1 mm long. Embryo 50–75% of length of grain. Hilum elliptic.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales.

Western Australia: Gardner, Fitzgerald, Hall, Mueller, Keartland, Fortescue, Ashburton, Carnarvon. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Victoria River, Barkly Tableland, Central Australia North, Central Australia South. South Australia: Lake Eyre, Eastern. Queensland: Cook, Burke, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Leichhardt, Gregory North, Gregory South, Mitchell, Warrego, Maranoa. New South Wales: North-Western Plains, North Far Western Plains.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae

Notes
Distributed in all mainland States except Vic., but mostly in arid and lower rainfall areas of the N.T. and Qld. Usually occurs on clay soils in depressions, often with saline conditions, but also known from sandy and loamy soils, especially in disturbed areas such as roadsides.