Derivation
Ehrharta Thunb., Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 40: 216, Tab.8 (1779) nom. cons.; named after Friedrich Ehrhart, a Swiss apothecary and botanist of the eighteenth century.

brevifolia- from the Latin brevis (short) and folium (leaf). Leaf-blades shorter than those of some other species in the genus or relative to the length of the culm.

Published in
Gött. Gel. Anz. 2: 2077 (1821).

Habit
Annual, tufted. Young shoots intravaginal. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 18–90 cm tall. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or present. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 0.5–2.5 mm long, membranous. Leaf-blades flat or conduplicate, 2.5–10 cm long, 3–8 mm wide, concolorous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle open, linear or lanceolate, 6–20 cm long.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets comprising 1 fertile floret, without rhachilla extension, oblong, laterally compressed, 2.7–4.5 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret.

Glumes
Glumes two, persistent, similar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, 2.5–4.5 mm long, 90% length of upper glume, hyaline, 3–7-nerved. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate, 1.4–2.4 mm long, 100% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, hyaline, 3–7-nerved. Upper glume apex obtuse or acute.

Florets
Basal sterile florets 2 or more, dissimilar, without significant palea, attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, without auricles, 50% of length of spikelet, cartilaginous, 1-keeled, 5-nerved, obscurely or distinctly nerved, smooth, puberulous or villous, ciliate on margins, truncate or obtuse or acute, muticous. Lemma of upper sterile floret elliptic, basally auriculate, 2.2–4.2 mm long, 200% of length of lower sterile floret, cartilaginous, smooth, ciliate on margins, obtuse, mucronate. Fertile lemma elliptic, 2.5–4 mm long, cartilaginous, 5-nerved. Lemma surface villous. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0–2-nerved, without keels or 2-keeled. Palea keels approximate. Lodicules 2, membranous, smooth. Anthers 2–3.

Continental Distribution:
Africa, Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia: Carnarvon, Eucla, Irwin, Drummond, Dale, Eyre, Avon.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Ehrhartoideae: Ehrharteae

Notes
Introduced; restricted to W.A. Flowers Aug.–Sept. There are two varieties.