- Reference
- Fl.Atlant. 1:67 (1798)
- Conservation Code
- Not threatened
- Naturalised Status
- Alien to Western Australia
- Name Status
- Current
Erect tufted annual, grass-like or herb, 0.15-0.8 m high. Fl. green, May to Nov. Grey or brown sand, granite, peat, clay, often saline. Moist areas, creeks, rivers, swamps.
Distribution
- IBRA Regions
- Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains, Gascoyne, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Murchison, Nullarbor, Pilbara, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren, Yalgoo.
- IBRA Subregions
- Augustus, Carnegie, Dandaragan Plateau, Eastern Goldfield, Eastern Mallee, Eastern Murchison, Fitzgerald, Fortescue, Geraldton Hills, Katanning, Lesueur Sandplain, Merredin, Northern Jarrah Forest, Nullarbor Plain, Perth, Recherche, Southern Jarrah Forest, Tallering, Warren, Western Mallee, Western Murchison, Wooramel.
- IMCRA Regions
- Abrolhos Islands, Leeuwin-Naturaliste, Shark Bay, WA South Coast.
- Local Government Areas (LGAs)
- Albany, Armadale, Augusta Margaret River, Bayswater, Beverley, Boyup Brook, Brookton, Bruce Rock, Busselton, Cambridge, Canning, Capel, Carnarvon, Chapman Valley, Chittering, Cockburn, Collie, Coorow, Corrigin, Cranbrook, Dandaragan, Denmark, Dumbleyung, East Pilbara, Esperance, Gingin, Goomalling, Gosnells, Greater Geraldton, Harvey, Jerramungup, Joondalup, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Katanning, Kellerberrin, Kojonup, Koorda, Kwinana, Leonora, Mandurah, Manjimup, Meekatharra, Melville, Mingenew, Mount Marshall, Mundaring, Murchison, Murray, Narrogin, Northam, Northampton, Pingelly, Plantagenet, Quairading, Ravensthorpe, Rockingham, Sandstone, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Shark Bay, Stirling, Swan, Toodyay, Upper Gascoyne, Wanneroo, West Arthur, Wiluna, Wongan-Ballidu, Woodanilling, Yalgoo, York.
Management Notes (for the Swan NRM Region)
Alternative Names. Beardgrass, annual rabbitsfoot grass, rabbitfoot Polypogon.
General Biology. Growth form. Grass. Life form. Annual, caespitose. Reproduction. Seed. Dispersal. Mammals (particularly rabbits), wind, water. Photosynthetic Pathway. C3.
Notes. Naturalised in southern Africa, New Zealand, United States (including Hawaii), Canada, Central America, South America and across Australia except in the Northern Territory. Often found along wetland margins where it colonises bare areas. Produces prolific seed. Can rapidly complete its life cycle. Straw (dead material) is allelopathic.
Additional information. Origin. Europe, Asia, north Africa. Similar exotic species. Polypogon maritimus. Similar native species. P. tenellus.
Suggested method of management and control. Spot spray 1% glyphosate. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.
Management Calendar
| Calendar Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Growth | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||||
| Germination | O | Y | |||||||||||
| Flowering | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
| Fruiting | Y | Y | |||||||||||
| Optimum Treatment | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.
References
- Brown, K. & Brooks, K. (2002) Bushland Weeds: A Practical Guide to their Management. Environmental Weeds Action Network, Greenwood.
- Carr, G.W., Yugovic, J.V. & Robinson, K.E. (1992) Environmental weed invasions in Victoria. Department of Conservation and Environment, Melbourne.
- Department of Primary Industries (2009) Annual Beard-grass. State of Victoria URL: http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/water_sss_ann_beard_grass - Accessed January 2010.
- Foy, C.L. & Inderjit (2001) Understanding the role of allelopathy in weed interference and declining plant diversity. Weed Technology, 15 (4): 873-878.
- Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. 2nd Edition. The Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park.
- Inderjit & Dakshini, K.M.M. (1995) Allelopathic potential of an annual weed, Polypogon mospeliensis, in crops in India. Plant and Soil, 173: 251-257.
- Moore, C.B. & Moore, J.H. (2002) Herbiguide, the pesticide expert on a disk. Herbiguide, PO Box 44 Albany, Western Australia, 6330.
- Partridge, T.R. & Wilson, J.B. (1987) Germination in relation to salinity in some plants of salt marshes in Otago, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 25: 255-261.
- Zedler, P.H. & Black, C. (1992) Seed dispersal by a generalized herbivore: rabbits as dispersal vectors in a semiarid California vernal pool landscape. American Midland Naturalist, 128 (1): 1-10.