Cymbopogon ambiguus (Hack.) A.Camus

Camus, A.A. (1921) Revue de Botanique Appliquée 1: 290.

Scent grass; Lemon grass

Caespitose perennial to 2 m high, lemon-scented when crushed.

Lower leaves with sheath persistent; sheath glabrous or obscurely villous, prominently veined; ligule 2-9 mm long, jagged; blade folded, c. 1 mm wide, glaucous. Dry leaves turn purplish brown.

Panicle 20-80 cm long; spathes 15-40 cm long. Racemes erect or slightly divergent, 15-25 mm long, ± densely villous; joints and pedicels densely villous with hairs to 4 mm long. Sessile spikelets 6-7 mm long; callus with hairs to 1.5 mm long. Lower glume 7-9-nerved, glabrous; upper glume subequal to the upper glume. Lower lemma a little shorter, obscurely 2-nerved; upper lemma sub-stipe-like, 2-lobed, awned between the lobes; awn 12-15 mm long. Pedicellate spikelets c. 3.5 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, with a 9-nerved lower glume and very small upper glume, or upper glume absent.

Caryopsis oblanceolate, subterete, ca. 2 x 1 mm, with adherent pericarp. Testa smooth and glossy, orange-brown

Features not available.

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and widespread in the rest of Australia. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 900 m. Grows in edges of rainforest, in Eucalypt forest, vine thickets, various types of woodland and in wooded grassland. Usually grows near watercourses. Also known from a few records in Timor.