Spikelets. Photo: Harry Rose, Australia

Seeds on stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Top of leaf heath and blade. Photo: Harry Rose, Australia

Common Name

Box Grass, Knottybutt Grass, Knottybutt; Knottybutt Paspalidium

Family

Poaceae

Notes

Perennial grass 5-80cm tall or prostrate.  Leaves with a rough, hairy, or hairless sheath at the base.  Ligule a fringe of hairs or a membrane with a fringe of hairs.  Leaves 6-15cm long, 1-4mm wide, flat, folded lengthwise, or the edges rolled inwards, hairy or hairless or rough, with smooth edges, and a fine point.  Spikelets green, 2-4m long.  Mature seed groups cylindrical.  Seeds with 0 bristles.  Setaria constricta in SA.

Description and photo of seeding plant in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales pages 124-125

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

ausgrass2 description and photos:   http://ausgrass2.myspecies.info/content/paspalidium-constrictum