Poa labillardierei

Common Tussock Grass, River Tussock Grass at Watson, ACT

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Identification history

Poa labillardierei	8 Jul 2023	MichaelBedingfield
Poa labillardierei	8 Jul 2023	Tapirlord
Poa sp.	7 Jul 2023	abread111

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User's notes

2 large tussocks in the vicinity

8 comments

waltraud wrote:

8 Jul 2023

What a strange location for P. lab; is it in a drainage line? I have not seen any on Mt Majura apart from those we planted in the water course gully right at the bottom before the water disappears into the storm water system.
Ive seen a quite a bit of P sieberiana though on southern aspect close to the iron bridge over Casuarina trail and at a seepage site close to Blue Metal Road - those close to BMR disappeared during drought and overgrazing. I found some of the P sieb are quite big with foliage at knee height.

abread111 wrote:

8 Jul 2023

Not in a drainage line, but probably quite damp none the less. The surrounding plants seemed to be willowherb, which likes dampness. I'll have to look up the distinction between the two species you mention.

waltraud wrote:

15 Sep 2023

I doubt P. lab and suggest to collect sample when possible. there are known sites on Mt Majura's west slope with naturally occurring Poa sieberiana; these are at moist seepage, drainage lines and on south aspects.

abread111 wrote:

15 Sep 2023

Ok, I'll try to get a sample sometime soon when I guess it may be heading...

Tapirlord wrote:

15 Sep 2023

When and if a sample is collected, please add it as a additional sighting. I am unwilling to change the ID on a sighting based on a sample collected after the fact given the uncertainty as to whether you have collected the same individual. We have had this discussion before.

waltraud wrote:

15 Sep 2023

Okay understood Ciaran, thanks.
Barb I checked a number of Poa lap sites, which seem to planted such as https://canberra.naturemapr.org/sightings/4430380.
I think we can exclude that anyone planted in that Mt majura location.
When we did the woody weed work, Alex pointed out a site with native plant species typical for wet areas that looked like a couple of areas on mt Majuras west slope where we saw thin water film moving over the landscape. Definitely worth to return for a closer look.

icrawford@iinet.net.au wrote:

12 Feb 2024

Keys to Poa labillardierei var. labillardierei. Relaxed blade to 1.3 mm wide.
spikelet to 2.85 mm long;
lower glume 1.5–1.6 mm long, 1-n;
upper gl. 1.6–1.8 mm long;
lemma 2.05–2.3 mm long, with webbing concentrated on base, and on margins and nerves basally; palea 1.9 mm long, nerves shortly ciliolate/scabrous.
palea

waltraud wrote:

12 Feb 2024

Many thanks Isobel, this is great; to my knowledge the first observation of this species on Mt Majura (apart from those we planted in the drainage line from the lower Hackett reservoir).

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