Rytidosperma tenuius

Rytidosperma tenuius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Rytidosperma
Species:
R. tenuius
Binomial name
Rytidosperma tenuius
(Steud.) Connor & Edgar
Synonyms
  • Austrodanthonia tenuior (Steud.) H.P.Linder
  • Danthonia tenuior (Steud.) Conert
  • Danthonia purpurascens Vickery

Rytidosperma tenuius, or purplish wallaby grass, is an Australian species of wallaby grass found in south eastern Australia, usually on clay or sandy soils in the drier eucalyptus woodlands.[1] The grass is perennial, and it may grow up to 1.2 m tall.[2] It is native to the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and it has been introduced to New Zealand.[3][4] The inflorescences have a characteristic reddish colouration, and the attractive purplish bracts of young flowers can also aid in identification.[3][5] The specific epithet tenuius is derived from the Latin for thin.[6]

Ecology

The rust fungus Uromyces danthoniae, a species found that grows parasitically on the leaves of several Rytidosperma species in New Zealand and Australia, infects Rytidosperma tenuius. It forms dense clusters of orange-brown aecidia on both surfaces of the leaf.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Rytidosperma tenuius". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Rytidosperma tenuius". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 Jessop, John; Dashorst, Gilbert R.M.; James, Fiona M. (2018). Grasses of South Australia. Wakefield Press. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-74305-583-0.
  4. ↑ "Short-awn Wallaby-Grass". Grasslands: Biodiversity of south-eastern Australia. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Rytidosperma tenuius". Yarra Ranges Council - Local Plant Directory. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. ↑ Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, ISBN 9780731812110 page 268
  7. ↑ McKenzie, E. H. C.; Latch, G. C. M. (July 1980). "Occurrence of Uromyces danthoniae and U. macnabbii , and additions to the graminicolous rust fungi of New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 23 (3): 393–397. Bibcode:1980NZJAR..23..393M. doi:10.1080/00288233.1980.10425373. ISSN 0028-8233.