Annual Beard-grass - introduced (*Polypogon monspieliensis)

Native to Asia, Africa and Europe. Annual. C3.

Occurrence. It is a plant of wet areas e.g. drainage lines beside roads, creek banks, reservoir edges etc.

Identification:

• the flower cluster is dense and spike-like
• the glumes are long awned and the glume bodies are longer than the lemma bodies
• the lemmas are single and are shortly awned
• the leaves are flat or loosely folded
• the ligule is membranous and 2-12mm long, shredded at the apex.

A distinctive grass: the long-awned glumes give this grass a bearded appearance. The cluster has a soft grey-green colour.

The flowers form a compact more or less cylindrical cluster (a panicle).

Polypogon: many beards, referring to the numerous awned spikelets; monspeliensis: from the Roman name for Montpellier.