COMMON GRASSES OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

By Mandy Bowman, Daryl King, Simon Reu & Rohan Fisher

Land Resources Souther Region.

P.O. BOX 1512Alice Springs NT 0871.

LAND & WATER RESOURCESResearch & Development Corporation

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COMMON GRASSES OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

COMMON NAMES

Aust Drop Seed...............4Bandicoot grass...............4Barley Mitchell Grass.......5Birdwood Grass...............6Bristle-brush Grass..........6Brown Beetle Grass.........7Buffel Grass.....................8Bull Flinders Grass..........8Button Grass ...................9Cane Grass......................9Cotton Panic...................10Creek windmill grass......11Curly Windmill Grass......11Desert Bluegrass...........12Eight-day grass..............12Feathertop wiregrass.....13Five Minute Grass.........13Hard Spinifex.................14Kangaroo Grass............14Kerosene Grass.............15Lemon Scented Grass...15Limestone Oat Grass.....16Longawn Wanderrie.......17

Mountain Wanderrie...........17Mulga Grass.......................18Mulga Mitchell Grass..........18Native Millet........................19Neverfail.............................19Northern Mulga Grass........20Oat Grass...........................20Oat Kangaroo Grass..........21Queensland Bluegrass.......22Red Flinders Grass............22Ribbon Grass.....................23Silky Browntop ..................23Soft or Gummy Spinnifex Grass.................24Small Burrgrass..................24Threeawn Wanderrie..........25Umbrella Grass...................25Weeping or HoopMitchell Grass.....................26Windmill Grass...................26Winged chloris....................27Wiregrass or Speargrass....27Wiregrass............................28Woollybutt...........................28Woollyoat Grass.................29

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SCIENTIFIC NAMES

COMMON GRASSES OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

Aristida contorta.................17Astrebla elymoides............25Aristida holathera..............14Aristida ineaquiglumis.......26Aristida latifolia..................12Astrebla pectinata...............4Aristida strigosa.................27Bothriochloa ewartiana......11Cenchrus ciliaris..................7Cenchrus setigerus.............5Chrysopogon fallax............22Chloris pectinata................25Cymbopogon ambiguus.....14Dactyloctenium radulans.....8Digitaria brownii................. .9Digitaria coenicola.............24Dichanthium sericeum.......21Diplachne fusca..................6Enneapogon avenaceus....19Enneapogon cylindricus....15Enneapogon polyphllus.....28Enteropogon acicularis......10Enteropogon ramosus.......10Eragrostis setifolia.............18

Eragrostis australasica......8Eragrostis eriopoda..........27Eriachne aristidea............24Eriachne armitii................16Eriachne mucronata.........16Eulalia auea.....................22Fimbristylis dichotoma......11Iseilema vaginiflorum........21Iseilema macratherum.......7Monachather paradoxa......3Oxychloris scariosa..........26Panicum decompositum..18Paraneurachne muelleri..19Plagiosetum refractum......5Themeda triandra............13Themeda avenacea.........20Thyridolepis mitchelliana..17Tragus australianus.........23Triodia pungens...............23Trioia basedowii...............13Tripogon loliiformis....... ...12Sporobolus australasicus..3

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COMMON NAME: Australasian orAustralian Dropseed

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sporobolusaustralasicus

HABITAT: Slender annual, 22-37cmhigh, occurs over a wide range ofcountry, usually as a coloniser ofdenuded areas, grows on loam flats.VALUE: Low-moderate palatability,not very important due to short-livedhabit.

COMMON NAME : Bandicoot Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Monachather paradoxa

HABITAT: 30-60 cm leafy perennial. Ismost common on sandy red earthsand clayey sands usually as a minorelement with mulga, woolybutt andhard or feathertop spinifex.

VALUE: Readily grazed; in densestands it is most valued for providinga green shoot after winter rains, whenonly low quality herbage or moder-ately palatable top feed is available to

stock.

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COMMON NAME: Barley Mitchell

SCIENTIFIC: Astrebla pectinata

HABITAT: 30-120 cm perennial. Isfound on the clay loams and heavycracking clays of the mitchell grassplains north of the MacdonnellRanges. Its distribution is sporadic andconfined to gilgais and depressions ofstony tablelands with texture contrastsoils. Generally there is not an associ-ated tree storey but in small parts itoccurs under gidgee.

VALUE: Though only moderately palat-able when green and less so when dry,Barley Mitchell is a vigorous perennialthat persists under adverse conditions

such as heavy stocking and drought.

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COMMON NAME: Birdwood Grass

SCIENTIFIC: Cenchrus setigerus

HABITAT: 5-80cm perennial. Intro-duced species with limited distributiongrows in the same areas as Buffelgrass, but has higher moisture re-quirement. It will respond to rain inany season provided there are nofrosts.

VALUE: It has a high feed value dur-ing the pre-flowering stage, but muchlower during the dry season. Its veryhardy nature makes it valuable inimproving low rainfall natural grazingland.

COMMON NAME: Bristle-brushGrass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Plagiosetum refractum

HABITAT: Tufty leafy annual,sometimes short-lived perennial22-37cm high. Occurs sporadicallyon deep, sandy soils, known fromcreek banks and near water gener-ally, particularly characteristic ofsandhill communities.VALUE: Evidently not grazed.

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COMMON NAME :  Brown BeetleGrass

SCIENTIFIC : Diplachne fusca

HABITAT : Leafy biennial or pe-rennial tussock grass, usually 20-30cm high with strongly developedfibrous roots.  Occurs in season-ally flooded depressions andswamps on sandy or clayey soil,but rarely red-earths.  Often on thefringe of waterholes and streamsand in gilgais.  It is often seencolonising shallow depressions on scalded surfaces and clay pans.

VALUE : It is a highly palatable soft leafy grass which issought out by livestock.  However, it rarely contributessignificantly to pastures and makes up only a minorcomponant of the diet.

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COMMON NAME: Buffel (West ern Australia)

SCIENTIFIC: Cenchrus ciliaris

HABITAT: 30-90 cm perennial.Introduced species found through-out the Alice Springs districtspreading along roadsides andwater courses. It prefers sandyloam and clay loam soils, in openwoodlands and calcareous areas.Drought resistant and respondsquickly to light falls of rain.VALUE: The palatability of Buffeldepends on variety (Gayndah,USA, WA). The nutritive value ofnew growth is very good and evenwhen dry it is moderately nutritiousfeed.

COMMON NAME: Bull Flinders Grass

SCIENTIFIC: Iseilema macratherum

HABITAT: Fairly erect denselytufted leafy annual up to 90cm high. Re-stricted to northern area. Usually oncracking clay soils and medium-texturedred earths.

VALUE: Generally regarded in otherareas to be less valuable thanred Flinders, but apparently notso in Central Australia. Palatableto stock when sufficient bulk hasgrown, generally not grazedwhen young.

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COMMON NAME : Button Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Dactyloctenium radulans

HABITAT : Semi-erect ephemeral 15-30cm high. Gently undulating countryon saline, calcareous, and alluvialsoils of medium to fine texture, and toa lesser extent on coarse sands andcracking clays. Associated with mulga,coolibah, salt-bush, ironwood and lesscommonly with gidgee and tea-tree.

VALUE : Highly palatable and nutri-tious. It commonly increases underheavy stocking and sometimes indicates overgrazing and disturbance.On occasions it is known to be toxic to cattle in poor condition.

COMMON NAME: Cane grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eragrostisaustralasica

HABITAT: Stout shrubby perennial 1-3mhigh, generally found in southern area,grows in low lying areas subject to inter-mittent flooding eg. swamps, tabledrainsand claypans, particularly suited toslightly saline, compact, heavy clay soils

where wateris pondedfor severalmonths.

VALUE: Generally considered to have little orno forage value,. cattle may utilise youngplants.

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COMMON NAME : Cotton Panic

SCIENTIFIC : Digitaria brownii

HABITAT : 30-45cm perennial : It occurs onmedium-textured red earths and shallowsoils, equally as common in upland andlowland areas. Usually in association withmulga, sparse low trees and shrubs.

VALUE : One of the more valuable pastureperennials, since the relatively soft foliageand slender stems are highly palatable tostock.

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COMMON NAME :  Creek WindmillGrass

SCIENTIFIC : Enteropogon ramosus

HABITAT : 70-110cm perennial : Foundmainly in drainage lines and river flood-plains. Associated with ironwood,coolibah and river gums.

VALUE : Moderately palatable whenyoung, but becomes coarse and unpal-atable with age.Less palatable thancurly windmill grass.

IDENTIFICATIONNOTES : Seedhead has less than5 branches. Tendsto grow tall andrank.

COMMON NAME :  Curly Windmill Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Enteropogon acicularis

HABITAT : 45-80cm perennial : Foundon alluvial fans, minor occurrences oncalcareous soils under gidgee, shallowsoils on hill slopes, saline soils withsaltbush and bluebush and on marginsof claypans. Is found more often onmedium - fine-textured than coarsesoils and is associated with mulga,ironwood and coolibah.

VALUE : Highly palatable when young,and moderately palatable when dry.

IDENTIFICATION NOTES : Seed head usually has 7 or more branches andthe plant is smaller than creek windmill.

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COMMON NAME : Desert Bluegrass

SCIENTIFIC : Bothriochloa ewartiana

HABITAT : Perennial 60-90cm in height.Grows on medium-textured red earths,on river banks, drainage floors, valleyslopes in association with mulga,coolibah, on shallow soils on low stonyhills with witchetty bush or sparse lowtrees and shrubs.

VALUE : Its utilisation isnormally restricted to shortperiods during earlygrowth when foliage is

moderately palatable.

COMMON NAME : Eight Day Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Fimbristylis dichotoma

HABITAT : Erect perennial 15-55cmhigh. Usually on sandy or loamy soils ofsandplains, undulating land and rockyhillsides, also along river channel mar-gins on heavy clay soils and on sandysoils in creek channels.

VALUE : Is very palatable to stock. Itsnutritive value is good when plants aregreen, but dry plants are poor qualityfeed.

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COMMON NAME: Feathertop Wiregrass

SCIENTIFIC: Aristida latifolia

HABITAT: Tussock forming 60 cm pe-rennial. Largely confined to crackingclay soils and is almost always associ-ated with barley mitchell and neverfailgrasslands or gidgee. Less commonlyon saltbush-bluebush country and onriver floodplains on alluvial soils.

VALUE: Feathertop is generally ig-nored in favour of more palatablegrasses with which it is commonlyassociated.

COMMON NAME :  Five Minute Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Tripogon loliiformis

HABITAT : Up to 15cm annual : It is mostextensive on stony tablelands and inalluvial areas such as river floodplains,on mainly medium - fine-textured anddeep but include sandy red earths andshallow soils. Under an open cover ofmulga, coolibah, witchetty, gidgee, iron-wood and corkwood.

VALUE : In association with other lowshort-lived grasses it produces palatableand nutritious pastures, which in someparts are highly valued as stock fatteninggrass.

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COMMON NAME: Hard Spinifex

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Triodia Basedowii

HABITAT: Perennial hummockforminggrass, thin rigid leaves with a very sharppoint. Hummocks may be up to 50cm highand 2 metres in diameter sometimes witha dead centre. Seedhead goes 30-50cmabove leaves. Grows on sandy red soilsand bases of sand dunes.

VALUE: Little grazing value due to toughprickly leaves. Seed heads relished bystock and grain is of good feedvalue. This plant is a useful,drought resistant soil stabilizer insandy arid regions, but does notcolonise shifting dune crests. Afterburning stock has green pick for ashort time. Annual plants maygrow for a short time in betweenhummocks after a rain, but fewperennial grasses can co-existwith it.

COMMON NAME : Kangaroo Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Themeda triandra

HABITAT : 60-90cm perennial : It occurs ongently sloping valley floors on medium-tex-tured red earth soils and common on low hillsand near creeks. Associated with mulga,coolibah, red river gums and spinifex.

VALUE : Not of marked value in pastures,though undoubtedly palatable during the grow-ing period, mature plants are normally ne-glected.

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COMMON NAME : Lemon Sented Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Cymbopogon ambiguus

HABITAT : Up to 70cm perennial : Grows on rocky hills, exposed graniteand on roadsides which have shallow loam or clayey soils. It also growsalong creek banks in stony uplands.

VALUE : It is rarely eaten by stock.

COMMON NAME : Kerosene Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Aristida holathera

HABITAT : Annual or short-lived peren-nial 30-60cm high. Sometimes pre-dominant over fairly large areas ofcoarse sandy soils on river banks, front-ages, floodouts and sand dunes. Asso-ciated with mulga, ironwood, corkwood,witchetty, gidgee and coolibah.

VALUE : Except when young it is nor-mally neglected by stock.

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COMMON NAME: Limestone Oat Grass(Jointed Nineawn)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Enneapogon cylindricus

HABITAT: 15-22cm high perennial: Com-monly associated with, though not confinedto calcareous rocks and soils. The speciesis distributed throughout the area, occurringsparsely or as a local dominant usually onshallow soils in gently undulating or low hillycountry. Associated with sparse low trees,gidgea and witchetty bush.

VALUE: Plants are unpalatable to stock. Ittends to increase in abundance on calcare-ous soils in response to prolonged grazing. 

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COMMON NAME : Longawn Wanderrie

SCIENTIFIC : Eriachne armitii

HABITAT : Annual or short-lived peren-nial 15-47cm high. Occurring mainly onbroad, shallow, periodically floodedflats, on medium-textured red and yel-low earths. In association with mulga,snappy gum, and gidgee. Plants growin summer months sometimes produc-ing dense localised stands.

VALUE : Probably grazed.

COMMON NAME :  Mountain Wanderrie

SCIENTIFIC : Eriachne mucronataHABITAT : 30-45cm perennial : Grow-ing on shallow and skeletal, sometimessaline soils irrespective of parent rock.Usually associated with witchetty bush,mulga, low trees and shrubs.

VALUE : Virtually worthless as pasturebeing unpalatable or inaccessible tostock.

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COMMON NAME : Mulga Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Aristida contorta

HABITAT : Up to 30cm Semi-erectdrooping annual or short-livedperennial. Predominant on alluvial,red-earth and sandy soils. Domi-nates grasslands and parklands,particularly extensive on flood-plains, river frontages andsandplains. Associated with mulga,ironwood, corkwood, witchetty,gidgee and coolibah.

VALUE : Generally regarded asuseful at all stages of growth. Mostvaluable when young. On ripeningspear-like floreats harden and canbe harmful to grazing animals,however are known to be grazed after having fallen to the ground.

COMMON NAME: Mulga Mitchell Grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Thyridolepis mitchelliana

HABITAT: 20-30cm high tufted peren-nial. Often on red earth soils, onsandplains, stony ridges and in mulga

communities.Sometimes thedominant grasson hilly areasbut on red soilflats and ridgesit is usuallyassociated with wiregrass (Aristida spp).

VALUE: Very palatable: withstands grazing moder-ately well but can be removed by prolonged heavygrazing.

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COMMON NAME : Native Millet

SCIENTIFIC : Panicum decompositum

HABITAT : 45-105cm high perennial.Occurring most commonly on thebanks and floodouts of streams and invalley floors with alluvial soils. Associ-ated with mulga, coolibah, river redgums, gidgee and witchetty bush.

VALUE : The herbaceous stems andabundant foliage provide palatablefodder. Because of preferential grazing,plants rarely survive in areas of high

stock concentration.

COMMON NAME :  Never Fail

SCIENTIFIC : Eragrostis setifolia

HABITAT : Tufted perennial 22-45cmhigh and 15cm wide. Widespread oncracking clay and fine alluvial soils. It iscommonly associated with Mitchellgrasses, coolibah and Queenslandbluebush, but also occurs with mulga,gidgee and cotton-bush. Occurrencesare usually sporadic and confined togilgais and similar depressions.VALUE : Only moderately palatable,however it tends to remain green for longperiods and is grazed in preference tomany perennials after more palatable,short-lived plants are gone.

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COMMON NAME: Northern Mulga Grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Paraneurachne muelleri

HABITAT: Wiry, coarse perennial, 30-45cmhigh, stems often trailing for several feetand rooting from nodes. Grows in sand orloam with spinifex, also in gently undulat-ing or flat country on shallow, often gritty orgravelly soils in association with scatteredlow trees and shrubs (snappy gum,

bloodwoods,mallees and nativefuchsia and on redand yellow earths ofmedium textureunder mulga.

VALUE: Not particularly valuable, young plants aremoderately palatable.

COMMON NAME : Oat Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Enneapogon avenaceus

HABITAT : 15-30cm annual or short-lived perennial, best developed on cal-careous and alluvial soils in the form ofgrasslands or in association withgidgee, witchetty, ironwood, coolibah,bluebush and saltbush.

VALUE : Is very palatable and is goodquality feed when plants are green.

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COMMON NAME: Oat Kangaroo Grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Themeda avenacea

HABITAT: Tufted perennial,

leaves concentrated at base 10-20cm,tops may be 70-120cm aboveground. May occur on all soil typesexcept very deep sands, more commonin wetter sites, gilgais or roadsides or insites protected from grazing but

regularly burnt.

VALUE: Verypalatable grass

easily grazed out by continuous stocking. Feed valuenot high.

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COMMON NAME : Queensland Blue Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Dichanthium sericeum 

HABITAT : Tufted, slender perennial about 60cmhigh. Associated with floodouts, drainage floors,

with soils of medium or finetexture, and cracking clays;with grassland plains ofneverfail and mitchellgrass; with coolibah, riverred gums, ghost gums,mulga and gidgee. Usuallythe best developed standsare localised in gilgais and small depressions. Ithas a high moisture requirement.

VALUE : Moderately palatable when green, but islargely ignored by stock with the onset of flowering.It is generally regarded as an indicator of countryin good condition.

COMMON NAME: Red Flinders Grass

SCIENTIFIC: Iseilema vaginiflorum

HABITAT: Leafy spreading straggly tuftssometime long lived annual, grows 45-60cm confined to medium textured redearths  and cracking clay soils, ussuallyaluvial in origin. Commonly localised todrainage lines and other depressions,occus in association with Mitchell grasses, gidgee, coolibah or saltbushand blue bush. Most common widelydistributed of Cental Australian species.

VALUE: Valuable partially due to itscommoness, but not always palatablewhen coarse and dry.

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COMMON NAME: Ribbon Grass orGolden Beard Grass

SCIENTIFIC: Chrysopogon fallax

HABITAT: 90-135 cm strong tussock-formingperennial. Found mainly on medium or finetextured soils. It is a characteristic plant offloodplains, creek banks, river levees andfloodouts, depressions, and gentle alluvialslopes receiving runoff from adjacent hills.

Commonly associ-ated with short an-nual grasses andforbs, coolibah, riverred gums, mulga,ghost gum and to alesser extent bloodwood, snappy gum and gidgee.VALUE: Plants are moderately palatable and isreasonable quality feed when green.

COMMON NAME : Silky Browntop

SCIENTIFIC : Eulalia aurea HABITAT : 60-90cm Perennial : Grows onmedium-textured red-earth and calcareoussoils and clayey sands. In floodplains, drain-age lines, shallow depressions and valleyfloors. Associated with mulga, coolibah,bloodwood and red river gums. VALUE : New growth readily grazed but withmaturity plants become rank and unattractiveto stock.

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COMMON NAME: Soft Spinifex orGummy Spinifex

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Triodia pungens

HABITAT: Tussocks straggly and irregu-lar 23-90cm high, 15-150cm wide, flow-ering stems usually 60-90cm high. Oc-curs on plains and rocky hills, oftenmixed with other spinifex. Soils com-monly shallow or skeletal; but includedeep, clayey sands and red earths ofcoarse or medium texture.Associated with a variety oflow trees and shrubs,(snappy gum, witchetty bush,mulga, mallees, coolibah,bloodwood, wattles, turkeybush and native fuchsia.VALUE: Softer and generallymore palatable than manyspinifexes. Commonlyutilised as a drought reserve

COMMON NAME: Small Burrgrass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tragus australianus

HABITAT: Very small, tufted annual,usually 20.30cm. Prefers sandier soils butmay be found on other soil types. Usuallyoccurs on sparsely vegetated or disturbedareas especially when overgrazed or follow-ing a drought.

VALUE: Leaf is palatable but yield is negli-gible. Resistant to heavy grazing.

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COMMON NAME: Threeawn Wanderrie

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eriachnearistidea 

HABITAT: Loosely tufted perennial 20-40cm high common on loose sandysoils in asociation with mulga andcypress pine.

VALUE: Not very palatable, a usefulstabiliser of loose, sandy

COMMON NAME :  Umbrella Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Digitaria coenicola

HABITAT : 30-45cm perennial : Sandyand medium-textured red earths withmulga, alluvial soils carrying coolibahand ironwood, shallow soils with lowtrees and shrubs, calcareous and sa-line soils with gidgee, saltbush,bluebush.

VALUE : A highly palatable plant,grazed in preference to many perennialgrasses.

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COMMON NAME: Hoop or WeepingMitchell Grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Astreblaelymoides

HABITAT: Tufted perennial up to 50cmhigh occurs on cracking, grey andbrown clay soils, usually in associationwith other Mitchell grasses. Tends to bemore common in wetter or heavilygrazed areas.VALUE: Moderately palatable,not as highly regarded as curlyor barley Mitchell grass, noundesirable features.

COMMON NAME : Windmill grass .

SCIENTIFIC : Chloris pectinata

HABITAT : Shallow rooted annual or bien-nial grass, forming small tufts 20-30cm tall,but usually less than 22cm.  Associated withshallow depressions, gilgais or any lowpoints subject to seasonal flooding, usuallyon heavy soils.  It may form dense standsduring favourable conditions, but its shallowroots and rapid maturation usually see itdissappear with the onset of drier condi-tions.

VALUE : It is moderately palatable, but dueto its generally short lived nature is not animportant componant of the pasture.

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COMMON NAME :  Wiregrass or Speargrass

SCIENTIFIC : Aristida inaequiglumis

HABITAT : Robust long-lived perennial45-90cm high. Associated with shortannual grasses on alluvial soils, withmulga on red earths and with hardspinifex on sandy soils. Also undercoolibah and corkwood on floodplains,under ghost gums and bloodwood onriver frontages and levees.

VALUE : Though ample foliage is pro-duced, it is almost completely ignored

by stock.

COMMON NAME : Wing Chloris

SCIENTIFIC : Oxychloris scariosa

HABITAT : Densely tufted annual orshort-lived perennial 22-30cm high.Often occurs in saline areas, mainly ontexture-contrast soils with saltbush.There are occurrences on red-earthsoils under mulga, on low rocky hills,creek banks and on heavy soils undergidgee.

VALUE : Plants appear not to begrazed to any extent.

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COMMON NAME :  Wiregrass

SCIENTIFIC : Aristida strigosa

HABITAT : Fairly coarse perennial 45-90cm high. Usually common on lowrocky hills and plateaux. Grows onshallow soils, often in erosion gulliesand similar habitats, sometimesdensely enough to be locally dominant.

VALUE : Not grazed.

COMMON NAME : Woollybutt

SCIENTIFIC : Eragrostis eriopoda

HABITAT : Tussock forming perennial30-60cm high, 15-22cm wide. Occur-ring most extensively as a local domi-nant of spinifex sand plains on redclayey sands. Also occurs under mulgaon coarse to medium textured redearths: on river floodplains, ironwood,corkwood, and on limestone slopes andrises on shallow, sandy soils underwitchetty bush and gidgee.

VALUE : Moderately palatable andnormally grazing is restricted to newgrowth. However in high stock concen-tration, e.g. holding paddocks, it survives consistent stocking and providessome forage after less hardy plants are destroyed.

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References:

M.Lazarides. (1970) The Grasses of Central Australia. A.N.U. Press,Canberra.

A.A.Mitchell, D.G. Wilcox, (1988) Arid Shrubland Plants of Western Australia.U.W.A. Press. Nedlands, Western Australia.

G.M.Cunningham, W.E.Mulham, P.L.Milthorpe and J.H.Leigh. (1981) Plants ofWestern New South Wales. N.S.W.Government Printing Office.

The Australian Systematic Botany Society, J.Jessop (ed) (1981), Flora of CentralAustralia. A.N.U. Press, Canberra.

R.J.Petheram, B.Kok, (1983), Plants of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.U.W.A. Press. Nedlands, Western Australia.

B.R.Roberts, R.G.Silcock,(1982), Western Grasses, A Grazier's Guide to theGrasses of South West QueenslandUniversity of Southern Queensland, ToowoombaQld.

COMMON NAME : Woolly Oat Grass

SCIENTIFIC : Enneapogon polyphyllus

HABITAT : 22-45cm short-lived annualor perennial : Grows on flat or hilly coun-try on deep or shallow sandy orclayey soils but best developed on allu-vial or river floodplains with mulga,gidgee, coolibah, bloodwood,corkwood, desert oak, ironwood,witchetty, bluebush, saltbush, spinifexand mitchell grass.

VALUE : Readily grazed at all stages ofgrowth, highly regarded as valuablefodder. In early stages dominantpastures are sufficiently nutritious tofatten stock, but are relatively short-lived.