Austrostipa mollis | |
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Subfamily: | Pooideae |
Genus: | Austrostipa |
Species: | A. mollis
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Binomial name | |
Austrostipa mollis |
Austrostipa mollis, also known as the soft speargrass or supple speargrass is a robust, erect tufted perennial speargrass in the Poaceae family. It is native to Australia, and found in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania. [1]
It was first described as Stipa mollis by Robert Brown in 1810 from a specimen collected in Tasmania. [2] In 1996 was transferred to the genus Austrostipa. [3]
A perennial erect, robust and tufted grass to 1.4 m tall. Stem nodes have downy hairs. Leaves are tufted at the base of the plant, usually glabrous, and densely hairy above reaching 30-50% of the stem length. Inflorescence up to 30 cm long in a dense panicle. Glumes purplish or green, 16–22 mm long. Lemma 7.5–9 mm long, pale or reddish brown at maturity. Hairs are semi-appressed, 0.6–2 mm long, that spiral and appear white to golden except toward apex. Palea about equal to lemma, with a line of hairs down the centre. Flowers September to December. [4]
The plant grows in moist to dry soils, particularly in heathy woodlands. It is frost and snow tolerant and grows in full sun to semi shade. [5] Can be propagated by seed sown in autumn to early winter. [6] Occurs in a wide range of habitats with sandy and/or low fertility soils (e.g. coastal dunes and headlands, slightly saline flats, shrubland and dry eucalypt forest).
Austrostipa mollis | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Subfamily: | Pooideae |
Genus: | Austrostipa |
Species: | A. mollis
|
Binomial name | |
Austrostipa mollis |
Austrostipa mollis, also known as the soft speargrass or supple speargrass is a robust, erect tufted perennial speargrass in the Poaceae family. It is native to Australia, and found in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania. [1]
It was first described as Stipa mollis by Robert Brown in 1810 from a specimen collected in Tasmania. [2] In 1996 was transferred to the genus Austrostipa. [3]
A perennial erect, robust and tufted grass to 1.4 m tall. Stem nodes have downy hairs. Leaves are tufted at the base of the plant, usually glabrous, and densely hairy above reaching 30-50% of the stem length. Inflorescence up to 30 cm long in a dense panicle. Glumes purplish or green, 16–22 mm long. Lemma 7.5–9 mm long, pale or reddish brown at maturity. Hairs are semi-appressed, 0.6–2 mm long, that spiral and appear white to golden except toward apex. Palea about equal to lemma, with a line of hairs down the centre. Flowers September to December. [4]
The plant grows in moist to dry soils, particularly in heathy woodlands. It is frost and snow tolerant and grows in full sun to semi shade. [5] Can be propagated by seed sown in autumn to early winter. [6] Occurs in a wide range of habitats with sandy and/or low fertility soils (e.g. coastal dunes and headlands, slightly saline flats, shrubland and dry eucalypt forest).