Austrodanthonia caespitosa facts for kids

Austrodanthonia caespitosa, often called common wallaby-grass, ringed wallaby-grass, or white-top, is a type of grass. It grows naturally in the southern parts of Australia.

What Does It Look Like?

This grass is a perennial type, meaning it lives for many years. It grows in clumps, reaching up to 90 centimeters (about 3 feet) tall.

Its flowers can be purple or green. They grow in a cluster called a panicle, which has 10 to 30 small flower groups called spikelets. Each spikelet contains 4 to 9 tiny individual flowers.

How It Got Its Name

This grass was first found in Shark Bay, Western Australia. A botanist named Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré collected it in 1829. He was part of an expedition led by Louis de Freycinet.

Gaudichaud-Beaupré first named it Danthonia caespitosa. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, scientists changed its name a few times. It was moved into the groups Notodanthonia and then Rytidosperma. In 1993, Hans Peter Linder moved it to the group Austrodanthonia, where it remains today.

Where It Grows

Common wallaby-grass grows in the cooler, wetter areas of southern Australia. You can find it in many different places. It can grow in various types of soil, including sand, loam, granite, and laterite. This grass is an important native plant for pastures in southern Australia.

Life Cycle

This grass usually flowers in spring or summer. It often blooms after it rains.