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Annual Beard-grass

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Annual Beard-grass Photos
Family: Grasses (Poaceae)

Scientific Name:Polypogon monspeliensis
Image: Annual Beard Grass plant
 Annual Beard-grass
Photo: ex-Matters & Bozon

Common Name:
Annual Rabbits-foot Grass

Status:
Native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. Naturalised across Australia except in the Northern Territory.

Plant Description:

Annual and erect grass up to 90 cm tall. Leaves are hairless but slightly rough, flat to 20 cm long and 8 mm wide. Flower-head is a soft, cigar-shaped, dense panicle from 2-15 cm long and 1-3.5 cm wide, pale yellow-green with a silvery tinge to yellowish-brown with maturity. Flowers in spring.

Habitat:
Damp clay loams and clays.

RegionSalinity ClassWaterlogging Class
Mallee, Loddon MurrayS0, S1, S2W2, W3
Wimmera, Central & NorthernS0, S1, S2W1, W2, W3
Western, GippslandS0, S1, S2, S3W1, W2, W3

Comments:
Similar to the smaller Coast Beard-grass (Polypogon maritimus) which can also be found in sandy saline soils. Coast Beard-grass differs from Annual Beard-grass in having leaves and flower-heads to 5 cm long only, and florets without awns [note: the glumes or husks surrounding the florets of both species are awned].

Annual Beard-grass Photos



Image: Annual Beard Grass
Annual Beard-grass - plant
Photo: A J Brown
Image: Annual Beard Grass - emerging flowerheads
Annual Beard-grass - emerging flowerheads.
Photo: A J Brown

Annual Beard-grass - mature flowerhead
Annual Beard-grass - mature flowerhead
Photo: A J Brown

Annual Beard-grass - mature flowerhead closeup
Annual Beard-grass - closeup of mature flowerhead
Photo: A J Brown

Annual Beard-grass - young flowerhead
Annual Beard-grass - young flowerhead
Photo: A J Brown

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The content is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia licence (CC BY 4.0 AU).

This material is presented in an archived form and is no longer maintained or updated. It is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon as current advice.

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