CURLY MITCHELL GRASS

Astrebla lappacea

Plant Family

Poaceae

Alternative Common Names

Wheat Mitchell

Densely tufted perennial grass, 30-90 cm high, with stout rhizomes and a butt which is thickened by numerous thin papery scales. Stems are erect or somewhat bent at the nodes, usually branched hairless, smooth, rigid and many noded.

Flower - heads are spike like, 5-30cm long, 5-13 mm wide, rigid, straight or sometimes curved, usually 1 or 2 per stem, the axis flattened, strongly veined, bristly, often wavy, bearing the spikelets in 2 regular rows along one side.

Flowering mostly summer.

Habitat

Heavy clay and clay loam soils, often those with gilgais, but sometimes found on flooded sandy alluvium. Often associated with bladder saltbush and barley mitchell grass communities.

Map Reference

3, 8, 17