Bristly Wallaby-grass
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| Scientific Name: | Austrodanthonia setacea |  Bristly Wallaby-grass Photo: A J Brown |
Other Common Names: | Small-flower Wallaby-grass, Mulga Wallaby-grass. | |
| Status: | Native to Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania. | |
Plant Description: | Perennial tussock grass to 70 cm, with fine, linear leaves which are usually in-rolled and covered with scattered hairs (particularly towards the base of the blades). Ligule a ciliate rim (0.5 mm long) with a few longer hairs at the sides. The pale greenish to purplish flower-head is rather contracted and 3 – 8 cm long with 10 or more spikelets made up of 4 – 10 florets. The individual florets have two lateral rows of long hairs on the back and a hairy base. The body of the floret is usually 2 – 3.5 mm long, ending in two 6 – 12 mm long acuminate lobes with a bent and twisted, rather fine awn arising from the notch between the lobes. Flowers mainly in spring. | |
Habitat: | Found growing in a wide range of soils on slopes and flats. Often occurs in unimproved pastures, found on moderately saline soils, and sometimes associated with scalds. | |
| Comments: | There are many species of Wallaby-grass but only a few grow in wet environments and most are not salt tolerant. Bristly Wallaby-grass is a very variable species with some forms approaching Common Wallaby-grass. Bristly Wallaby-grass usually has smaller florets than Common Wallaby-grass but the bristles (long acuminate points) on its floret lobes are longer (4 – 6 mm long). |
 Bristly Wallaby-grass - young flowerhead Photo: A J Brown |  Bristly Wallaby-grass - mature flowerhead Photo: A J Brown |  Bristly Wallaby-grass - spikelets Photo: A J Brown |
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2009.
This document was last reviewed on 05/08/2009