Tasmanian Spear-grass - native (Austrostipa stuposa)

Alternative names: Stipa stuposa, Quizzical Spear-grass

Native. Perennial. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Identification:

• it is a tall grass (a metre or more)
• the panicle is usually contracted or moderately open
• the glumes are longer than the lemma body and 13-23mm long, with a pointed tip which readily erodes
• the leaves are flat or rolled into a cylinder
• the ligule is truncate, membranous. fringed and 0.5-4mm long
• the hairs at the base of the awn are 1-3mm long and not very conspicuous
• the awn is feathery-hairy, and the lemmas have a granular surface
• the nodes (along the stalk) have short, downy hairs
• the lemmas are 6-12mm long (excluding the awn), dark reddish-brown (when mature), and the tip of lemma is hairless
• the awns are 45-70mm long, 6-13mm to the first bend; with long hairs 1.5-2.5mm long.

Not common.

stupa: flax, tow-like, referring to a mass of tangled filaments.

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