Sida 1: 182 (1963) APNI
Taxonomic status:Accepted
Occurrence status:Present
Establishment means:Naturalised
Long-rhizomatous or sometimes tussock-forming perennial. Culms erect, to c. 70 cm high. Leaf-blades flat or channelled, to 30 cm long and 5 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely hairy near base, scabrous; sheaths ciliate along margins; ligules 0.5–1 mm long, with longer lateral hair-tufts. Inflorescence a soft, moderately dense ovoid to broadly cylindric panicle 3–10 cm long; spikelets 1–4 per branch, subtended by an involucre 25–45 mm long, of shining white (rarely purplish) plumose bristles. Spikelets lanceolate, 7–11 mm long; lower glume rudimentary, c. 0.5 mm long; upper glume 1-nerved, lanceolate, 2–4 mm long, membranous; lower floret staminate or sterile, its lemma slightly shorter than the spikelet, 7–9-nerved, palea subequal to lemma; upper floret bisexual, lemma equal to spikelet, resembling lower lemma, palea subequal to lemma. Flowers Nov.–May.
*CVU, *EGL, *GipP, *Glep, *Gold, *HSF, *MuF, *MuM, *NIS, *OtP, *RobP, *VRiv, *VVP, *WaP, *Wim. Naturalised in all States except NT. Native to tropical north-east Africa, and Yemen. Occasionally grown in gardens for its ornamental inflorescence, but readily escaping and becoming a weed in lawns, along roadsides and in pastures where not favoured as fodder by stock.
Bioregion | Occurrence status | Establishment means | |
---|---|---|---|
Murray Mallee | present | naturalised | |
Wimmera | present | naturalised | |
Glenelg Plain | present | naturalised | |
Victorian Volcanic Plain | present | naturalised | |
Victorian Riverina | present | naturalised | |
Robinvale Plains | present | introduced | |
Murray Fans | present | introduced | |
Gippsland Plain | present | naturalised | |
Otway Plain | present | naturalised | |
Warrnambool Plain | present | naturalised | |
Goldfields | present | naturalised | |
Central Victorian Uplands | present | naturalised | |
Northern Inland Slopes | present | naturalised | |
East Gippsland Lowlands | present | introduced | |
Highlands-Southern Fall | present | naturalised |
State |
---|
Western Australia |
South Australia |
Queensland |
New South Wales |
Australian Capital Territory |
Victoria |
Tasmania |