It appears to differ from the other Slender rats tail grass, S. creber, in that the lower flower head branches are longer and diverge from the main stem and branches conceal most of the axis in the upper half of the inflorescence
Hi Walter We can't confirm from the photos, since there is not enough detail. Would you be able to drop off a specimen to the ANBG to get ID'd ? If it is actually Sporobulus elongatus it would be a good find for us since we do not have it recorded previously.
That is not advisable, as there will be no-one to process any specimens, so they're likely to either go mouldy or become insect affected. It would be better to just dry specimens out in newspaper + plant press and keep them yourself until things return to normal (whenever that is!).
Luckily, I got the specimens to the gardens just before they closed yesterday. I received an email this morning suggesting that the grass is S. creber.
Hello Roger
The grass specimen you submitted recently for identification is a native species of Sporobolus. It appears to be closest to S.crebra as the lower inflorescence branches are more or less appressed to the main axis. Sporolobus elongatus is extremely similar to S.crebra and it is debatable whether the two are really different enough to be regarded as a separate species.
All the best,
Dave
David Albrecht
Plant Identification and Liaison Officer | Australian National Herbarium
Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research
National Research Collections Australia
CSIRO
My suggestion of S. elongatus, was based on my view that the lower branches of the flower head were not appressed (photo 2). I guess we go with the taxonomist - S. creber? Walter
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