7th December - Microleana stipoides - Weeping Rice-grass

Microleana stipoides

Description:
Perennial, with a creeping rhizome and often prostrate stoloniferous stems, tufted or forming lawn-like swards. Spikelets 12-16 mm long (excluding the awns). Glumes 0.2-2mm long, smooth or minutely hairy or ciliate. Sterile lemmas rough; the 1st 8-10 mm long (excluding the awn), awn 9-30 mm long; the 2nd 9-15 mm long (excluding the awn), awn 13-37 mm long. Fertile lemma 7-12 mm long, with a slender awn 0.3-1.5 mm long, smooth or partly rough; palea membranous and translucent.

Flowering:
Flowers from November through to March.

Threats:
Microleana is one of the dominant, indigenous grasses of Wirrapunga. Its only threat is being overgrown by exotic species.

Management:
Enjoys a mow every few years.

Note:
I have given a fairly complete description of this plant because there are two different microleanas at Wirrapunga and I will introduce the other when it flowers later.