Wallaby grass
Austrodanthonia spp.
IDENTIFICATION TIPS
- Fine leaved, tufted, yearlong green, perennial grasses to about 1m tall
- Leaves grey-green to dark green and often hairy. All species have a hairy fringe at the junction of the leaf blade and leaf sheath
- Seedhead is a contracted to open panicle. Spikelets are green with pink tinges along the edges of the glumes in early flowering, becoming fluffy white when mature
- Flowers in spring and autumn
CLIMATIC & SOIL REQUIREMENTS
- Different species are adapted to specific soil types and conditions from very hard shallow soils to more fertile areas
- Generally do not tolerate waterlogging, but are very tolerant of soil acidity and aluminium
GRAZING & NUTRITIONAL VALUE
- Low to high grazing value
- Digestibility ranges from 45-82%
- Crude protein 10.1-25%
MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
- Feed value is dependant on the species and location; plants growing on very shallow poor soils show little response to fertiliser and often form low quality, unproductive plants. In more fertile areas, plants respond to fertiliser and tend to produce larger quantities of higher quality feed
- Species on more fertile soils mostly increase with increased (to quite high) grazing pressure as their buds and storage organs are at or below ground level and frequent defoliation removes shading from taller plants. Species on infertile soils are generally only suited to light grazing pressure
- Spell to allow seeding in spring or summer after good rainfalls
- Does not tolerate heavy shading in early spring, so maintain grazing pressure to avoid dominance by sub clover and other annuals
- Seed can be sown by broadcasting and using light harrows in spring or autumn. Coverage should be no deeper than 3mm and reliable moisture is essential
SIMILAR PLANTS
- Correct identification of each of the wallaby grass species requires expert knowledge
- Silvertop wallaby grass (Joycea pallida) has prominent orange-red anthers in the seedhead and forms a tussock to 1.8m tall
