Description: Introduced warm-season perennial tufted C4 grass; stems grow to 180 cm tall and nodes have a prominent ring of hairs; stolons are weakly developed, but it forms a close sward through rooting at nodes of prostrate stems. Flowerheads are subdigitate with 2-5 spreading branches (racemes); base of branches are bare of spikelets for a short distance. Spikelets are hairy and paired; lower spikelet is unstalked, fertile and has a 16-30 mm long awn, upper spikelet is stalked and unawned. Flowers in late autumn. A native of India, it is a sown pasture species with one variety Floren. Best adapted to dark cracking black clays, but occurs on a range of soil types. Drought, flood and salt tolerant, but frost sensitive. Often has poor seed production as it is very late flowering and can be hit by frosts during flowering. Seedlings have low vigour and plants are slow to establish. Tolerant of low fertility, but very responsive to fertiliser. Palatable when leafy and acceptable to cattle, but not sheep, when mature. Very tolerant of grazing and is good at suppressing weeds. This plant growing in a mown roadside verge at Coonamble. Date: 20 May 2016, 09:53. Source:
Dichanthium aristatum plant6 NWP. Author:
Harry Rose from Dungog, Australia. Camera location
30° 56′ 32.61″ S, 148° 22′ 28.48″ E View all coordinates using:
OpenStreetMap -
Google Earth-30.942392; 148.374578.
