Feathertop Rhodes-grass - introduced? (*Chloris virgata)

Native to tropical America and Asia. Annual. C4.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Uncommon, but may be locally abundant.

Identification

• the grass grows to about a metre high
• the fresh flowers on erect radiating arms which become somewhat spreading with age
• the 1st glume much shorter than the lemmas
• each spikelet has a lower fertile lemma and an upper sterile lemma
• both lemmas have a slender terminal awn, and the lower fertile lemma has a tuft of silky hairs at its summit; these give the flower clusters a hairy appearance
• the leaves are flat or folded
• the ligule is fringed or hairless.

There are few Victorian records for this grass, most of which are from near the Murray River in north-west Victoria.

Chloris: green, referring to the colour of the leaves and flowers of some species. virgata: composed of willowy twigs.

Some authorities consider that Feathertop Rhodes-grass may be a native (as well as native to other countries). The Castlemaine population is almost certainly introduced. It is usually close to a railway line or truck route.