Plants of the Castlemaine district
Windmill Grass - native (Chloris truncata)
Native. Perennial or annual. C4.
Family. Poaceae (Grass family).
Identification:
- it grows to about 30cm high
- it is a windmill grass with terminal radiating arms
- the 1st glume is much shorter than the lemmas
- the spikelets have a reduced sterile floret and a larger fertile floret
- the lemmas are long-awned and squared off at the tip
- the leaves are flat
- the ligule is a fringed membrane, to 0.8mm long.
Windmill Grass is a common component of native grasslands and roadside vegetation, particularly to the north.
When mature, the squared off (truncate), dark-coloured lemmas on the radiating arms are distinctive,
1, 2. Windmill Grass in a Castlemaine garden. 3. The squared lemmas are distinctive. 4. The lemmas darken with age. 4: Castlemaine footpath.
truncata: ending abruptly, referring to the cut-off lemmas; chloris: green, referring to the colour of leaves and flowers of some species.