Rough Spear-grass - native (Austrostipa rudis)

Alternative names: Stipa rudis

Native. Perennial. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Identification:

• it is a tall grass (a metre or more)
• the flower clusters are open
• the glumes are longer than the lemma body and 8-15mm long, and squared off at the tip
• the lemmas are awned
• the leaves are flat, folded or inrolled
• the ligule is fringed and 0.5-2mm long
• the nodes (along the stalk) have short, downy hairs
• the lemmas are 5-11mm long (excluding the awn), are reddish-brown (when mature), and the tips of the lemma are hairless
• the awns are 30-90mm long, with 5-30mm to the first bend, and with very short hairs (to 0.3mm) giving a rough feel.

Rough Spear-grass is moderately common in the forest south of Castlemaine e.g. Porcupine Ridge and Fryers Ridge.

rudis: rough.

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