Scientific name: Chloris gayana Kunth

Common name: Rhodes grass

Family: Poaceae

Origin:

Native to Africa.

Habit:

A perennial grass, growing to 1.5 m tall, with both upright and creeping (ie. stoloniferous) stems.

Habitat:

A weed of roadsides, footpaths, disturbed sites, railways and cultivation. Widely cultivated as a pasture grass.

General description:

Stems and leaves

The stems (culms) are either erect or creeping (ie. stoloniferous and rooting at the nodes). Leaf blades are linear (8-28 x 0.2-0.9 cm in size) and hairless (glabrous). The ligule is a flattened membrane about 0.5 mm long with longer hairs (cilia) on top and at the edges.

Flowers and fruit

The inflorescence is a digitate or sub-digitate arrangement of 8-17 spikes each about 7-10 cm long. The greenish-brown spikes are loosely arranged and sometimes droop. Each spike has a large number of spikelets that usually contain three or four florets. Most of the florets are sterile with only the lowest in each spikelet usually producing a seed. Each spikelet has two very small and thin awns less than 4 mm in length.

Distinguishing characteristics:

A large grass with distinctive digitate or sub-digitate inflorescences with many spikes. Chloris virgata (feathertop Rhodes grass) is a closely related and similar species. However, this grass has feathery spikes that are borne in a more upright position. It's spikelets also have larger awns (5-10 mm long) and only two florets.

Noxious status:

Not noxious.

Sources:

Stanley, T.E. and Ross, E.M. (1983-1989). Flora of South-eastern Queensland. Volume 3. Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.