Brown's Lovegrass (Eragrostis brownii)
© Harry Rose
Native, warm-season, perennial, highly variable, slender, tufted grass with erect or ascending stems to 60 cm tall. Flowerheads are contracted to open panicles (5- 30 cm long); the lower branches 2-many times as long as the spikelets. Spikelets are small, flattened, 8-24 flowered and very shortly stalked; tending to overlap (or nearly so) each other and not widely diverge from the branches. Lemmas are 1.5-2 mm long. Flowers from spring to autumn. Found in a wide range of habitats (sand dunes, grasslands, woodlands, swamps, etc). Tolerates disturbance. Occurs on a wide range of soil types, but more commonly on lighter, shallow or rocky soils of lower fertility. Native biodiversity. Rapidly colonises bare areas or after clearing. Provides a palatable and moderate quality feed, but does not produce much leaf. Responds positively to increased fertility and grazing.
Photo taken on 6 May 2014