Rat’s-tail Couch

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Scientific Name: Sporobolus mitchellii
Photo: Rat's Tale Couch
Photograph courtesy of Viridans Biological Databases (external link)

Other Common Names:
Swamp Rat-tail Grass, River Couch, Short Rat-tail Grass, Creeping Sporobolus, Condamine Couch

Status:
Native to Australia.

Plant Description:
Tufted or stoloniferous, perennial grass to 50 cm tall, with flat, slightly rough, dull
green leaves 1-10 cm Long and 1-2.5 mm wide; ligule 0.5 mm long, often with longer hairs to the side.

Inflorescence, a narrow spike-like panicle, 2-12 cm long and 3-8 mm wide. Spikelets 2-2.5 mm long, dull, straw coloured or greyish, single flowered.

Habitat:
Occasional on the edges or moist beds of lakes and swamps or along river banks and on floodplains and table-drains in the Wimmera, Mallee and northern plains of Victoria. Often on heavy clay soils or on clay loams where wet.

Comments:
Similar to the near coastal grass, Salt Couch (S. virginicus) but less salt tolerant.

Dried-off patch of Rat's-tail couch in Sea barley-grass Photo: A J Brown	Rat's-tail Couch - flowerheads Photo: A J Brown	Rat's-tail Couch - leaves Photo: A J Brown
Rat's-tail Couch - flowering spike-like panicles Photo: A J Brown	Rat's-tail Couch - stolons Photo: A J Brown

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Scientific Name:	Sporobolus mitchellii	Photograph courtesy of Viridans Biological Databases (external link)
Other Common Names:	Swamp Rat-tail Grass, River Couch, Short Rat-tail Grass, Creeping Sporobolus, Condamine Couch
Status:	Native to Australia.
Plant Description:	Tufted or stoloniferous, perennial grass to 50 cm tall, with flat, slightly rough, dull green leaves 1-10 cm Long and 1-2.5 mm wide; ligule 0.5 mm long, often with longer hairs to the side. Inflorescence, a narrow spike-like panicle, 2-12 cm long and 3-8 mm wide. Spikelets 2-2.5 mm long, dull, straw coloured or greyish, single flowered.
Habitat:	Occasional on the edges or moist beds of lakes and swamps or along river banks and on floodplains and table-drains in the Wimmera, Mallee and northern plains of Victoria. Often on heavy clay soils or on clay loams where wet.
Comments:	Similar to the near coastal grass, Salt Couch (S. virginicus) but less salt tolerant.