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Poaceae

Elymus scaber

Posted Fri, 07/05/2010 - 13:19 by locust
Common Names: 
Common Wheat Grass

Small_Elymus_inflorescence_mature-100x100.JPGSlender upright grass with variable leaves. The blades are usually glabrous but the sheaths are softly hairy or scabrous. The 'ligule' (structure of the junction where the leaf angles away from the culm) includes a pair of slender, pointed extentions wrap around the stem like an untied bow tie.

Distichlis distichophylla

Posted Fri, 07/05/2010 - 12:14 by locust
Common Names: 
Australian Salt Grass

Often confused with the weed couch grass (Cynodon dactylon), but can be distinguished by the leaves which alternate on stems. Prostrate creeping grass, which can grow up small bushes or surrounding structures to 2m, but usually only grows to 40cm.

Dichelachne crinita

Posted Fri, 07/05/2010 - 10:35 by locust
Common Names: 
Plume Grass

Tall, to 1 metre grass with plume-like inflorescence, green and pink while flowering.

Dichanthium sericeum

Posted Fri, 07/05/2010 - 10:27 by locust
Common Names: 
Silky Blue Grass

An upright tussock with bluish grey leaves to about 30 cm. The flowerheads emerge above the foliage to approximatley 50cm in summer. It can resemble its close relative , Red-leg Grass Bothriochloa macra but differs in that red-leg grass has green foliage with reddish nodes and dark coloured seed-heads. This is a summer growing grass with the 'C4' photosynthetic pathway.

Bothriochloa macra

Posted Thu, 06/05/2010 - 22:46 by BB
Common Names: 
Redleg Grass

A small sprawling tussock with fresh green foliage with reddish nodes and dark coloured seed-heads to approximately 50cm in late summer. It can resemble its close relative , Silky Blue Grass Dichanthium sericeum which differs in having greyish foliage, an upright habit and silvery seedheads. This is a summer growing grass with the 'C4' photosynthetic pathway.

Austrostipa semibarbata

Posted Thu, 06/05/2010 - 22:38 by BB
Common Names: 
Spear Grass

Tall, to 1 metre. This species is very similar to Austrostipa mollis and mature seeds are needed to readily distinguish them. In Austrostipa mollis the hairs on the tightly coiled part of the seed's awn (long projection at the top of the seed) appear to spiral around the . In A. semibarbata the hairs are evenly distributed and the spiralling effect is not evident.

Austrostipa scabra ssp. falcata

Posted Thu, 06/05/2010 - 22:36 by BB
Common Names: 
Slender Spear-grass

A medium -sized tussock grass with fine, somewhat wispy foliage. In early summer, shining pink flowerheads emerge above the foliage, a very attractive feature of the species. The infloresecences in the picture have reached this stage of maturity. The long, fine awn (projection from the top of the seed)of each seed coils loosely as the seed matures and ripens to a mid brown.

Austrostipa mollis

Posted Thu, 06/05/2010 - 22:31 by BB
Common Names: 
Spear Grass

Tall, to 1 metre. This species is very similar to Austrostipa semibarbata and mature seeds are needed to readily distinguish them. In Austrostipa mollis the hairs on the tightly coiled part of the seed's awn (long projection at the top of the seed) appear to spiral around the . In A. semibarbata the hairs are evenly distributed and the spiralling effect is not evident.

Themeda triandra

Posted Wed, 05/05/2010 - 22:33 by tonyf
Common Names: 
Kangaroo Grass

Grows to 1m in width and the seed heads to 1.3m in height. The leaves often develop an orange, red or purple tinge on the edges. The seed heads are orange in full flower.

Austrostipa mollis

Posted Sun, 02/05/2010 - 22:26 by BB
Common Names: 
Spear Grass

Tall, to 1 metre. This species is very similar to Austrostipa semibarbata and mature seeds are needed to readily distinguish them. In Austrostipa mollis the hairs on the tightly coiled part of the seed's awn (long projection at the top of the seed) appear to spiral around the awn. In A. semibarbata the hairs are evenly distributed and the spiralling effect is not evident.

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