Central Australian Grass Identification Guide
Following some overwhelming support from members and other plant enthusiasts, Land for Wildlife are working to develop a grass identification guide for central Australia (yet to be formally titled).
The information is to be sourced from an excellent online resource called AusGrass2, in combination with grass samples collected from Land for Wildlife member properties and other areas in the Alice Springs region. We have been able to seek permission from the Queensland Herbarium, who now manages the site, to use the information to develop a regional grass guide for central Australia.
This guide will help our members to identify the invasive grasses and distinguish them from the local native grasses, as well as learn about the diversity of grasses in central Australia.
To help us along with producing a complete booklet, we are still seeking samples from the following native and exotic species (For the plant experts among you, let us know if you know where to find any of them):
Blowngrass | Agrostis avenacea |
Grey-beard Grass, Long Grey-beard Grass | Amphipogon caricinus |
Aristida arida | |
Cane Grass Three-awn, Two-gland Three-awn | Aristida biglandulosa |
Needle-leaved Three-awn | Aristida capillifolia |
Bunched Kerosene Grass, Mulga Grass | Aristida contorta |
Jericho Three-awn | Aristida jerichoensis var. subspinulifera |
Feathertop Wiregrass | Aristida latifolia |
Rock Three-awn | Aristida latzii |
Flat-awned Three-awn | Aristida nitidula |
Brush Three-awn, Brush Wiregrass | Aristida obscura |
Weeping Mitchell Grass | Astrebla elymoides |
Barley Mitchell Grass | Astrebla pectinata |
Austrostipa centralis | |
Austrostipa feresetacea | |
Rough Speargrass | Austrostipa scabra subsp. scabra |
Wild Oat | Avena fatua |
Desert Bluegrass | Bothriochloa ewartiana |
Birdwood Grass | Cenchrus setiger |
Comb Chloris | Chloris pectinata |
Feathertop Rhodes Grass, Furry Grass, Feather Finger-grass | Chloris virgata |
Feathertop Rhodes Grass, Furry Grass, Feather Finger-grass | Chloris virgata |
Golden Beard Grass, Ribbon Grass, Weeping Grass, Spear Grass | Chrysopogon fallax |
Northern Barley Grass | Critesion murinum subsp. glaucum |
Silkyheads, Lemon-scented Grass | Cymbopogon obtectus |
Sheda Grass | Dichanthium annulatum |
Dwarf Bluegrass | Dichanthium sericeum subsp. humilius |
Silky Umbrella Grass, Spider Grass | Digitaria ammophila |
Umbrella Grass, Finger Panic Grass | Digitaria coenicola |
Comb Finger Grass | Digitaria ctenantha |
Echinochloa crus-galli | |
Japanese Millet | Echinochloa esculenta |
Conetop Nine-awn, Clelands Nine-awn | Enneapogon clelandii |
Jointed Nine-awn, Limestone Oat-grass, Jointed Bottlewasher | Enneapogon cylindricus |
Enneapogon eremophilus | |
Rock Nine-awn | Enneapogon oblongus |
Curly Windmill Grass, Umbrella Grass, Spider grass | Enteropogon acicularis |
Eragrostis A51007 Limestone | |
Swamp Canegrass | Eragrostis australasica |
Neat Lovegrass, Clustered Lovegrass | Eragrostis basedowii |
Fairy Grass, Cumings Lovegrass | Eragrostis cumingii |
Mallee Lovegrass | Eragrostis dielsii |
Clustered Lovegrass, Close-headed Lovegrass | Eragrostis elongata |
Small-flowered Lovegrass | Eragrostis kennedyae |
Purple Lovegrass | Eragrostis lacunaria |
Drooping Lovegrass | Eragrostis leptocarpa |
Eragrostis olida | |
Weeping Lovegrass | Eragrostis parviflora |
Small Lovegrass | Eragrostis pergracilis |
Neverfail, Narrow-leaf Neverfail | Eragrostis setifolia |
Knottybutt Neverfail | Eragrostis xerophila |
Three-awn Wanderrie | Eriachne aristidea |
Woollybutt Wanderrie | Eriachne helmsii |
Pretty Wanderrie | Eriachne pulchella subsp. pulchella |
Eight Day Grass, Common Fringe-rush | Fimbristylis dichotoma |
Fimbristylis microcarya | |
Bunch Speargrass, Black Speargrass | Heteropogon contortus |
Rough-stemmed Flinders Grass | Iseilema dolichotrichum |
Bull Flinders Grass | Iseilema macratherum |
Small Flinders Grass | Iseilema membranaceum |
Red Flinders Grass | Iseilema vaginiflorum |
Umbrella Canegrass | Leptochloa digitata |
Small-flowered Beetle Grass | Leptochloa fusca subsp. fusca |
Brown Beetle Grass | Leptochloa fusca subsp. muelleri |
Beetle Grass | Leptochloa fusca subsp. uninervia |
Natal Red Top, Red Natal Grass | Melinis repens |
Winged Chloris | Oxychloris scariosa |
Giant Panic | Panicum antidotale |
Hairy Panic | Panicum effusum |
Pepper Grass | Panicum laevinode |
Bristle-brush Grass | Paractaenum refractum |
Clements Paspalidium | Paspalidium clementii |
Knottybutt Paspalidium, Slender Panic | Paspalidium constrictum |
Warrego Summer Grass | Paspalidium jubiflorum |
Bunch Paspalidium | Paspalidium rarum |
Kikuyu | Pennisetum clandestinum |
Pennisetum pedicellatum subsp. unispiculum | |
Comet Grass | Perotis rara |
Annual Beardgrass | Polypogon monspeliensis |
Katoora | Sporobolus actinocladus |
Australian Dropseed | Sporobolus australasicus |
Sporobolus blakei | |
Sporobolus scabridus | |
Tall Oat Grass, Oat Kangaroo Grass, Native Oat Grass, Swamp Kangaroo Grass | Themeda avenacea |
Window Mulga Grass, Mulga Mitchell Grass, Mulga Grass | Thyridolepis mitchelliana |
Spurred Arrowgrass | Triglochin calcitrapum |
Hard Spinifex, Lobed Spinifex | Triodia basedowii |
Hard Spinifex, Lobed Spinifex | Triodia brizoides |
Buck Spinifex, Bull Spinifex, Giant Grey Spinifex | Triodia longiceps |
Five-minute Grass, Rye Beetle Grass | Tripogon loliiformis |
Hairy Armgrass, Hairy Summer Grass, Green Summer Grass | Urochloa piligera |
Large Armgrass, Large Summer Grass | Urochloa praetervisa |
Sandhill Canegrass | Zygochloa paradoxa |