Unidentified grass
Can anyone identify this grass for me? it grows about 1/2 to 1 meter tall, and has very vigorous white rhizomes a little less than 1/2 cm in diameter. It is growing in a poorly drained clay soil. Seeds about 1 mm long.
Responses
Looks like Axonopus compressus to me. Big cousin of Narrow-leafed carpet grass, Axonopus affinis
We'd be interested to know whether this key is of any help - https://keys.lucidcentral.org/search/ausgrass-grasses-of-australia/
Hi Joel and Grahame,
For the benefit of the broader Pestnet audience, my colleague Stephen McKenna provided the following feedback directly to Joel.
Regards
Barbara W.
Hello Joel
Grasses are difficult to identify at the best of times, even with them at hand!!!
NOTE – this is a not a definitive identification - While the images aren’t at a high-enough resolution and the description not detailed enough for a definitive identification, the grass does look a bit like a widespread species called Panicum repens (torpedo grass).
It has been recorded from Palau (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) as an introduced plant. It is widespread globally – see GBIF distribution map below. It grows in impeded drainage areas and can be very vigorous. For a definitive identification, a specimen should be collected and verified with a grass botanist or a herbarium.
Some references:
https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/38670
https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/panicum-repens/
https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/site/assets/files/1137/panrep.pdf
Regards, Stephen
Stephen McKenna
Botanist, Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy