Victorian Resources Online (archived)

Hair Grasses

Hair Grass photos - Silvery Hair-grass, Elegant Hair-grass, Small Hair-grass, False Hair-grass

Family: Grass (Poaceae syn. Gramineae)

Scientific Name:

Aira, Molineriella (syn. Periballia) and Pentaschistis spp

Status:

Indigenous to Europe.

Plant Description:

Small, delicate, tufted, annual grasses, generally to 20 cm (sometimes to 40 cm). Flower-heads are panicles that have capillary branches, are mostly spreading and diffuse and have 2-flowered spikelets separated by long flower-stalks (pedicels).

Aira: Leaves are hairless, fine and generally inrolled, 0.5 mm wide and up to 8 cm long. Spikelets are 1.8-3.5 mm long, depending on the species and at least floret has a fine awn.

Molineriella: Leaves are hairless, flat or folded, 2 mm wide and 5 cm long. Spikelets are 1-1.5 mm long and the florets are awnless.

Pentaschistis: Leaves are covered in soft hairs, flat or somewhat incurved, 1.5 mm wide and 4 cm long. Spikelets are 3-4 mm long and the florets are 3-awned; the central one being much longer than the laterals and sharply bent.

Habitat:

Moderately widespread grasses, growing in a range of habitats.

Aira:
Not persisting in semi-arid or permanently wet sites. May occur on the banks and edges of ephemeral swamps, lakes and water courses.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Central and Northern, Wimmera, Western, Gippsland	S0, *S1	W0, W1, W2

*may be found on or fringing saline sites during the wetter parts of the year

Molineriella:
Sandy soils. Tolerates moderate salinity.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Central and Northern, Wimmera, Western	S0, S1, S2	W0, W1, W2

Pentaschistis:
Mainly found on sand or dry shallow soils.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Mallee, Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Wimmera	S0, *S1	W0, W1

*may be found on or fringing saline sites during the wetter parts of the year

Comments:

Four species of Aira (A. praecox – Early Hair-grass, A. caryophyllea – Silvery Hair-grass, A. cupaniana – Silvery Hair-grass, A. elegans – Elegant Hair-grass), one species of Molineriella (M. minuta – Small Hair-grass) and one species of Pentaschistis (P. airoides – False Hair-grass) occur in Victoria.

Hair Grass photos

Silvery Hair-grass

Silvery Hair-grass plants (Aira carophyllea) Photo: A J Brown	Silvery Hair-grass plant (Aira cupaniana) Photo: A J Brown
Silvery Hair-grass spikelets ( Aira cupaniana) Photo: A J Brown

Elegant Hair-grass

Elegant Hair-grass plants (Aira elegans) Photo: A J Brown	Elegant Hair-grass plants (Aira elegans) Photo: A J Brown
Elegant Hair-grass spikelets ( Aira elegans) Photo: A J Brown

Small Hair-grass

Small Hair-grass plants (Molineriella minuta)
Photo: A J Brown

False Hair-grass

False Hair-grass plants (Pentaschistis airoides) Photo: A J Brown	Stem and leaf blade junction of False Hair-grass (Pentaschistis airoides) Photo: A J Brown
Emerging flower-head of False Hair-grass ( Pentaschistis airoides) Photo: A J Brown	Flower-head of False Hair-grass ( Pentaschistis airoides) Photo: A J Brown

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