Nuytsia
The journal of the Western Australian Herbarium

Species belonging to the Western Australian S. xerophylla (DC.) F.Muell. group (or Group IX) are described and illustrated. The treatment includes two species published in the nineteenth century, S. xerophylla and S. stomarrhena (Sond.) Sleumer, together with four new species, S. angustiflora Hislop & Puente-Lel., S. cernua Hislop & Puente-Lel., S. disjuncta Hislop & Puente-Lel. and S. sulcata Hislop & Puente-Lel. A seventh member of the group, S. longissima Hislop & Puente-Lel., was described in a recent paper and is not treated again here. The morphological attributes of the group are outlined and a key to species provided.

A new annual species, Elionurus tylophorus M.D.Barrett & T.Handasyde is described in the genus Elionurus Willd. of the grass tribe Andropogoneae. It differs from all previously described Elionurus species in having keels of the lower fertile glumes ornamented with projections, these often terminated by minute solitary bristles, rather than regular cilia lacking projections, or with projections terminated by hair-tufts in other species. It differs further from E. citreus (R.Br.) Benth. and E. purpureus E.J.Thomps., the only other Australian Elionurus, in having strongly developed fertile glume nerves, rachilla longer and lacking a wing, and presence of lemmas and anthers in the pedicellate spikelet. Elionurus tylophorus is currently known from a single location in the King Leopold Ranges in the central Kimberley region, and has conservation significance. A primary division of Elionurus into two clades is hypothesised based on a preliminary chloroplast gene phylogeny and two morphological synapomorphies, presence of tufted glume hairs and oil streaks.

Banksia densa A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele has until now been regarded as a widespread species in the Western Australian wheatbelt, comprising a widespread nominate variety and a geographically more restricted variety in the southern part of its range (var. parva (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele). An informally recognised morphological variant, which matches the type of the species, is geographically restricted to an area on the edge of the species range in the immediate vicinity of Corrigin. Morphological assessment shows that the Corrigin form differs significantly in leaf morphology from the remainder of the species and comprises the true B. densa. The widespread taxon previously referred to as B. densa var. densa, and the southern var. parva, are here raised to species rank as B. zygocephala K.R.Thiele sp. nov. and B. parva (A.S.George) K.R.Thiele comb. et stat. nov. respectively.