Item 9.9 - Attachment 2 |
Coolatai grass -
Hyparrhenia hirta |
Alternative
Name(s): Tambookie Grass.
Family: Poaceae.
Form: Grass
Origin: Native of Africa and the Mediterranean region.
Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead to 90 cm long. Flowers all year round.
Description: Tufted perennial to 1.2 (rarely to 1.5) m high. Leaves 2–4
mm wide, green to blue-green, often with a whitish bloom; ligule 2–4 mm long.
Spikelets in pairs, mostly with the lower spikelet sessile, 3–7 mm long and
with or without an awn 10–25 (rarely to 35) mm long, the other spikelet 3–7 mm
long, on a stalk and awnless.
Distinguishing features: Distinguished by paired racemes; racemes 1.5–5
cm long with 5–13 awned spikelets; spikelets with whitish hairs.
Dispersal: Spread by seed.
Confused With: Hyparrhenia filipendula, Tambookie Grass, which
usually has 2 awns per raceme and Hyparrhenia rufa, Jaragua Grass, which
usually has reddish brown hairs on spikelets.
Spikelets
with whitish hairs
Notes: Introduced for soil stabilisation in the Coolatai area. Locally
abundant on the north western slopes of New South Wales and adjacent areas in
Queensland but spreading to other areas and locally dominant on roadsides where
it is displacing most other grasses and herbs. Now invading pasture areas. Not
favoured by stock but a useful feed if not allowed to seed. Regrows rapidly
from the crown following fire.
References:
Flora
of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993,
pages 497–500. AusGrass: grasses of Austalia. D. Sharp & B. Simon,
2002.
Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this
weed.
Paired racemes, Sandon Point, NSW, May Dominating roadside,
Tamworth, NSW
photo J.R. Hosking