Coast Spear-grass

Scientific Name:

Austrostipa flavescens

Coast Spear-grass plant
Photo: A J Brown

Status:

Australian native of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.

Plant Description:

Tufted, shortly rhizomatous perennial grass to 1.2 m tall. Leaves are hairless to densely pubescent with leaf blades flat (to 7 mm wide) to inrolled and 70 cm long.

Flower-head a dense, narrow panicle to 30 cm long, each spikelet 10-15 mm long (excluding the awn). Floret dark brown to black when mature and lightly covered with golden hairs. Awn twice bent and 40-70 mm long.

Habitat:

Common along the coastline and occasional inland.

Comments:

There are many spear-grass species and they require expertise to tell apart. Apart from Prickly Spear-grass, Coast Spear-grass is probably the most common other coastal species encountered.

Coast Spear-grass flower-head
Photo: A J Brown

Coast Spear-grass spikelet
Photo: A J Brown

Coast Spear-grass flower-head
Photo: A J Brown

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