Seeds attached to stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Seeding stems and leafy stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plants. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Flat-awned Speargrass

Family

Poaceae

Notes

Perennial grass 60cm-2m tall.  Leaves with a hairless sheath at the base.  Ligule a membrane without a fringe of hairs. Leaves 7-25cm long, 1-9mm wide, flat, weakly rolled, or the edges rolled inwards, hairless to rough, with a long point.  Spikelets purple, brown, or red, 7-15mm long.  Mature seed groups spreading.  Seeds with one long flat awn.

Description and photo of seeding plant (as Stipa platychaeta)   in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales pages 144-145

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Austrostipa~platychaeta

ausgrass2 description and line drawing:  http://ausgrass2.myspecies.info/content/austrostipa-platychaeta