Windmill Grass (Chloris truncata)
© Harry Rose
Native, warm-season annual or short-lived perennial, erect, hairless, tufted grass usually less than 50 cm tall and forming a dense low crown; sometimes short stolons are present. Stems are unbranched and flattened with a knee-like bend near their base. Flowerheads are digitate, usually with 6-9 branches 4-20 cm long. Mostly found along roadsides and in native pastures where groundcover and fertility are relatively low; rarely abundant. Readily colonises bare ground and areas subject to compaction or shallow soils. Native biodiversity. Of little significance for grazing, it has low to moderate quality and low productivity. Tolerant of set stocking and close grazing, it is better suited to sheep than cattle due to the low height of its foliage. Favoured by grazing systems that maintain low groundcover. It has little response to fertiliser inputs.
Photo taken on 17 Oct 2012