Derivation
Cymbopogon Spreng., Pl. Min. Cogn. Pug. 2: 14 (1815); from the Greek kumbe (boat) and pogon (beard), alluding to the boat-shaped spatheoles subtending the hairy racemes.

dependens- from the Latin dependeo (hang down). Culms drooping.

Published in
Austrobaileya 3: 80 (1989).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Young shoots extravaginal. Culms geniculately ascending or decumbent or arching, delicate, 90–120 cm tall, 3–5-noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode, glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 0.5–1 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades filiform or linear, flat, 15–30 cm long, 0.5–2.5 mm wide, aromatic. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescences arranged within a synflorescence. Inflorescence terminal and axillary, subtended by a spatheole, enclosed. Spatheole elliptic, 2–4 cm long, glabrous. Peduncle 0.7–1.1 cm long, pilose above. Rames paired, erect, 2–2.5 mm wide, bearing 3–5 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 17–25 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes, semiterete, villous on surface, villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 4–7 mm long. Rame internodes linear, 2–2.5 mm long. Rame internode tip transverse, cupiliform. Rame-bases flattened, subequal.

Spikelets
Spikelets in pairs, one sessile and fertile and the other (companion) spikelet pedicelled. Pedicels linear, semiterete, 2–2.5 mm long, villous, hairy on surface or margins, with 4–7 mm long hairs. Basal sterile spikelets absent. Companion spikelets rudimentary or developed, sterile, comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, linear or ovate, 2 mm long, shorter than fertile, deciduous with the fertile. Companion spikelet glumes chartaceous, acute, muticous. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret sterile, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, elliptic or ovate, dorsally compressed, 4.5–5 mm long, falling entire, deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose, base obtuse, inserted. Spikelet callus hairs 0.6–1.2 mm long.

Glumes
Glumes dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic, 1 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, chartaceous, 2-keeled, keeled laterally, 0–4-nerved. Lower glume intercarinal nerves absent or obscure, 0–4 in number. Lower glume surface flat or concave. Upper glume lanceolate, 1-keeled, 3-nerved. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Basal sterile florets 1, without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong, hyaline. Fertile lemma lanceolate, hyaline. Lemma apex lobed, 2-fid, incised 50% of lemma length, 1-awned. Median (principal) awn from a sinus, geniculate, 17–20 mm long overall, with a twisted column. Column 6–8 mm long, glabrous. Palea absent or minute. Anthers 3. Grain with adherent pericarp.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory.

Western Australia: Gardner, Hall. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Central Australia South.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Andropogoneae

Notes
Endemic. In rocky gorges in isolated regions of W.A. and N.T. Flowers Feb.–Mar.