Agrostis avenacea

Agrostis avenacea is a species of grass known by the common names Pacific bent grass, New Zealand wind grass, fairy grass,[1][2] or blown-grass.[1] It is native to Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific Islands including New Guinea and Easter Island. While it is found in a wide variety of habitats, it seems particularly invasive in areas with damp soils, such as areas near bodies of water.[3] It has been introduced to southern Africa,[4] the United Kingdom,[5] Taiwan, the southern United States and Mexico.[6]

Agrostis avenacea
Scientific classification
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A. avenacea
Binomial name
Agrostis avenacea
Synonyms

Agrostis retrofracta, Lachnagrostis filiformis[1]

Pacific bent grass is a tufted perennial grass growing up to 65 centimeters tall. The leaf blades are flat and about 8-25 centimeters long and 2-3 millimeters wide.[3] The stems, which are round or polygonal, are hollow.[5] The inflorescence, which appears in June and July, may be from 7-30 centimeters long. It consists of a panicle of wispy strands, each with several tiny, fuzzy spikelets at the end. The spikelets are two or three millimeters long.[7]

In Australia it is a fire hazard,[2][8][9] and interferes with trains.[10][11]

Agrostis avenacea is known elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It is particularly invasive in California, where it is a weed of sensitive vernal pool ecosystems around San Diego.[12]

See also

References

  1. "Common Blown-Grass". Victorian Resources Online. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  2. "Fairy Grass". City of Ballarat. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19.
  3. Roberts, Philip D.; Parker, Chris (December 10, 2019). "Agrostis avenacea (Pacific bent grass)". CABI Invasive Species Compendium. Retrieved April 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Agrostis avenacea J.F.Gmel". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  5. "Agrostis avenacea : Blown-grass | NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  6. Jung, Ming-Jer; Wu, Tian-Shung; Kuoh, Chang-Sheng (September 30, 2005). "Notes on Newly Recorded Grasses in Taiwan". ResearchGate. Retrieved April 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Agrostis avenacea". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  8. "Opinions Split Over Fairy Grass Solutions". The Wimmera Mail-Times. 20 Jan 2012.
  9. "Controlling Lachnagrostis filiformis (Fairy grass) on dry lake beds in western Victoria, Australia". Archived from the original on 2012-07-08.
  10. "Trekking millipedes sideline trains". The Age. 29 March 2012.
  11. "Ballarat line infrastructure". Archived from the original on 2013-04-12.
  12. California Invasive Plant Council
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