Hedgehog Grass - native (Echinopogon ovatus)

Native. Perennial. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Other names: Rough-bearded Grass.

Occurrence: Hedgehog Grass is rare in dry forests. It is more common in wetter areas e.g. higher rainfall forests and in depressions.

Identification:

• it is a short or tall grass with recorded heights from 15cm to a metre
• the flower clusters are egg-shaped and densely compacted
• the stiff flower stalks are erect or spreading.
• the glumes are hairy and about as long as the lemma bodies
• the single lemma is long-awned
• the leaves are flat
• the ligule is 1-2mm long, and trucate or torn.

The bristly lemmas give the cluster a hedgehog-like appearance.

echinos: hedgehog, pogon: beard, referring to the bristly flowers. ovatus: egg-shaped, i.e. elliptical but broader at the base.

---