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Scientific Name
Synonyms
Family
Common Names
Origin
Naturalised Distribution
Habitat
Habit
Distinguishing Features
Stems and Leaves
Flowers and Fruit
Reproduction and Dispersal
Environmental Impact
Legislation
Management
Similar Species
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Nassella charruana

Scientific Name

Nassella charruana (Arechav.) Barkworth

Synonyms

Stipa charruana Arechav.

Family

Gramineae (South Australia)
Poaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

lobed needle grass, lobed needlegrass, Uruguayan needlegrass

Origin

Native to southern South America (i.e. southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay).

Naturalised Distribution

Locally naturalised in southern Victoria.

Habitat

A potential weed of temperate and semi-arid regions that inhabits pastures, grasslands, grassy open woodlands, roadsides, waste areas and disturbed sites.

Habit

A long-lived (i.e. perennial) tufted grass with upright (i.e. erect) stems growing 25-100 cm tall. It forms dense tufts via very short creeping underground stems (i.e. rhizomes).

Distinguishing Features

Stems and Leaves

The flowering stems (i.e. culms) are upright (i.e. erect) and most of the leaves are tufted around the base of the plant.

The leaves are long and narrow (i.e. linear) and have a hairless (i.e. glabrous) sheath which surrounds the stem. The leaf blades (5-20 cm long and only 0.5-2 mm wide) are flat or rolled inwards (i.e. convolute) and have pointed tips (i.e. acuminate apices). Where the leaf sheath meets the leaf blade there is a small membranous structure (i.e. eciliate ligule) 0.8-2 mm long.

Flowers and Fruit

The seed-head (6-30 cm long) is an open, or sometimes spike-like (i.e. spiciform), panicle. Small flower spikelets are borne singly at the tips of the branches of the seed-heads, and each flower spikelet consists of two bracts (i.e. glumes) and a single tiny flower (i.e. floret). These flower spikelets (16-20 mm long) are elongated or cylindrical (i.e. lanceolate or terete) in shape and are topped by a very long awn.

When mature the 'seed' separates from the bracts (i.e. glumes), which remain on the seed-head branches. The mature 'seed' has a sharpened, hairy tip (i.e. pubescent callus) at one end and a long twisted awn (45-80 mm long) at the other end. Where the awn attaches to the 'seed' there is a distinctive membranous collar-like structure (i.e. corona) about 5-6 mm long. Hidden within the hard-coated 'seed' is the long and narrow (i.e. linear) and dark brown-coloured grain (about 3.5 mm long).

Reproduction and Dispersal

This species reproduces via seed. These seeds readily attach to animals, clothing and vehicles. They may also be dispersed in contaminated agricultural produce (e.g. fodder) and soil.

Environmental Impact

Lobed needlegrass (Nassella charruana) is on the Alert List for Environmental Weeds, a list of 28 introduced plants that are currently not very widespread but are considered to pose a threat to Australia's environment.

Legislation

This species is declared under legislation in the following states and territories:

Management

For information on the management of this species see the following resources:

Similar Species

Lobed needlegrass (Nassella charruana) is very similar similar to Chilean needlegrass (Nassella neesiana), cane needlegrass (Nassella hyalina), Texas needlegrass (Nassella leucotricha) and short-spined needlegrass (Nassella megapotamia). These species can be distinguished by the following differences:

Several other introduced grasses are relatively similar. These include serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma), Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima), broad kernel espartillo (Amelichloa caudata), narrow kernel espartillo (Amelichloa brachychaeta), plumerillo (Jarava plumosa) and Uruguayan ricegrass (Piptochaetium montevidense). None of these species have collars (i.e. coronas) on their seeds.

In addition, several native tussock-forming grasses can look similar (e.g. Poa spp. and Austrostipa spp.). However, these species either lack ligules on their leaves, or have ligules that are fringed with hairs, and they also do not have collars (i.e. coronas) on their seeds.

Note: This page only covers those grasses that are commonly confused with this species. For a more in-depth key to all of the grasses present in Australia, see the AusGrass: Grasses of Australia CD-ROM or Flora of Australia, Volumes 43 and 44.