Poaceae

Chloris gayana

Common Names: Rhodes grass

Plant Form: Erect or creeping perennial grass. Size: Up to 1.2 m tall. Stem: Usually hairless, branching higher up. Creeping stems produce roots at joints. Leaves: Flat blades 15-35 cm long. With a mostly hairless sheath. Flowers: Heads of between 6 and 18 dense long greenish to reddish spikes radiating from the same point, each 5-10 cm long and spreading or somewhat drooping. Fruit and Seeds: Spikelets turn brown or straw-coloured and drop off leaving pair of bracts on head containing egg-shaped flattened seeds. Habitat: Parks, gardens, grasslands, railways, roadsides, pastures, cropping areas. Distinguishing Features: Generally very similar but less hairy than other Rhodes grasses (Chloris species).