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Chilean needle grass

Nassella neesiana
Landscape: , | Plant Form:
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Chilean needle grass, named for its long, pointed seeds, is a perennial tussock forming grass which grows in dense clumps to one metre high.

It is closely related to serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma) and is a Weed of National Significance (WoNS).

Chilean needle grass affects sown pasture and native grasslands of south-eastern Australia.

It is relatively unpalatable and reduces farm productivity by displacing more desirable pasture species.

Heavy infestations can decrease productivity by as much as 50 per cent during summer.

It also injures stock and downgrades wool, skins and hides with its long, sharp seeds.

Chilean needle grass is distinguished by nodes covered with short soft hairs; purplish glumes to 25 mm long; a cylindrical crown (corona) around the base of the long awn is less than 1.5 mm long and lacks long hairs.

The seed head grows to 40 cm long, with lemma (excluding corona) to 1 cm long. Awns are twice bent, 4-9 cm long.

The grass flowers in spring and summer.

Leaves grow to 5 mm wide with ligules to 3 mm long.

Chilean needle grass is spread by seeds that are produced in the seed heads as well as beneath leaf-sheaths above the nodes of flowering shoots and at the stem base. Stem seeds enable the plant to reproduce even if flowering is prevented.

Chilean needle grass grows in temperate regions with annual rainfall greater than 500 mm.

It can thrive in a wide range of soils and conditions and has the potential to be very invasive over a large part of the country in pasture vegetation and native vegetation. It tolerates drought and heavy grazing.

 

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