Is it a native?

Foxtail Spear-grass - native (Austrostipa densiflora)

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foxtail spear-grass foxtail spear-grass

Alternative names: Stipa densiflora.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Native. Perennial. C3.

Identification:

  • the florets have a single awned lemma
  • the lemma body is shorter than the glumes
  • the leaf-blade is inrolled or flat
  • the ligule is fringed and 0.5-4.0mm long
  • it is a tall grass (a metre or more) with a dense flower cluster
  • the nodes are finely hairy with short hairs
  • the awn is 34-45mm long and is sharply twice-bent
  • the hairs on the awn are 0.5-1mm long
  • the ring of hairs at the lemma apex is 1.2-2mm long
  • the glumes are 13-19mm long and with a thin texture, and often shred after the lemmas fall
  • the lemmas are 6-8mm long, brown and covered with white to yellowish hairs.
  • Uncommon. It is similar to Austrostipa mollis. It differs in the shorter lemmas and awns, the shorter glumes, and the compact dense flower clusters.

    densiflora: densely flowered.

    1. Lemma with awn. 2 Dense flower cluster. Both Castlemaine.