Poaceae

Cenchrus pedicellatus

Common Names: Cenchrus pedicellatus

Plant Form: Annual tufted grass. Size: 30 cm to 1.5 m tall. Stem: Slender, straight, many in tussock. Leaves: Blades to 45 cm long, hairy or hairless, ring of hair at base. Flowers: Spikelike, to 20 cm long. Dense, cylindrical, cream-coloured with purple tinge. Fruit and Seeds: With bristles and dense woolly hairs, spaced on spike. Habitat: Pastures, roadsides, waste areas, creeklines. Distinguishing Features: Very similar to perennial Mission grass (Cenchrus polystachios) but is generally smaller, and with purplish-coloured seed heads. Impacts: Outcompetes crops and native vegetation.

Flowers are whitish

Grass dies in dry season

Flowers are fluffy

Stems are hairless