romantic grasses 2013-2014

***************** ROMANTIC GRASS OF THE WEEK HAS A NEW HOME: HTTP://ROMANTICGRASSES.COM *******************


I have a post apocalyptic vision - grasses taking over social media. This is an archive of my artwork for facebook "ROMANTIC GRASSES OF THE WEEK" - it is a weekly status update of a biological description of a grass you can find in Australia (either native or weed). it aids in identification of grasses and really just helps alleviate the facebook/everyday tirade of shit, to bring us back to love, to nature, the universe and mother earth.

June 2, 2013
erograstis curvula (african love grass); romantic grass of the week: african love grass.. this alien grass has made australia its home... find it on the streets, near the rivers etc.. pick an influrosence for the one you love today!! Matt Earle already did it!!

June 8, 2013
Romantic Grass of the Week: Cyperus Gracilis - (slender flat sedge) - is native to australia in wet-ish muddy areas and named for its graceful form of leaves. its really pretty and we have one in our sink at the moment.

June 17, 2013


ROMANTIC GRASS OF THE WEEK - Microlaena stipoides - weeping rice grass - native to australia, new guinea, home to the two-spotted grass skipper, has a grain high in protein #bushfood

June 26, 2013
 
romantic grass of the week - is an asian(of origin) weed, inspired by the Bad Intentions set at Audiopollen the DIRTY DORA cyperus difformis.. may contain HCN suspected of causing sheep deaths infiltrating Australian cotton and rice fields

July 4, 2013 
romantic grass of the week is bolboschoenus fliviatilis (or scirpus fluviatilis) river bulrush. its a common shallow water sedge// has a bristly bud.. River Bulrush is a zone hardy plant that has medicinal uses - the medicinal usage rating of River Bulrush is 1This plant was ranked 11th in a survey of 250 potential antifertility plants in China[218].

Scirpus fluviatilis is a non flowering plant which is pollinated by Wind.

The plant has an edibility rating of 2The stems are peeled and eaten[177]. Root - raw or cooked. The roots form tubers at intervals along their length and new plants are formed from these tubers. When first formed, the tubers are white and starchy with a sweet coconut-milk flavour, they become black and woody with age[193]. Tubers can be up to 3 centimeters in diameter[193]. #bushfood

July 8, 2013

romantic grasses monthly summary - erograstis curvula (african love grass); bolboschoenus fluviatilis (river bulrush); cypress difformis (dirty dora); microlaena stipoides (weeping rice grass); cyperus gracilis (slender flat sedge)--- here is a diagram containing all the different types of inflorescence-- the third one is called a panicle its how the african love grass, weeping rice grass and the next romantic grass of the week flower (i used to think all these grasses were the same). 


romantic grass of the week leersia hexandra (swamp rice grass) also a native to FLO-rida.. it also has a panicle flower the leaves are slightly rough to the touch, can sometimes be found floating like a mat..

July 15, 2013


romantic grass of the week: paspalum dilatatum (sticky heads) is the most common paspalum in australia. is a common weed in lawns like this (note the blue-green over fertilized grass..) often ends (sessile) in a clawlike (pedicilled) paired spikelet. the spikelets are flat on one side and convex on the other the lower floret barren and upper floret fertile   

July 29, 2013 

romantic grasses of the week: stipa scabra - a native to australia and new zealand mostly in yarra melbourne region but can be found in south east queensland.. panicled compound flower from the stipa family of spear grasses, feather grasses, needle grasses etc.. matt and I look forward to seeing some on our trip down south this weekend!! 
August 9, 2013

romantic grass of the week: the chinese crab grass, digitaria cilaris - all the digitaria are known because of the finger like inforescence.. its bigger brother digitaria sanguinalis is not found in the tropical hotter regions.. in africa the digitaria seeds are ground into a flour and used for porridge or fermented to make BEER. lOVE YOUR WEEDS 

August 19, 2013

romantic grass of the week - Brisa Maxima, - native of Northen Africa, Azores, Southern Asia/Europe- a common introduced grass in other areas, COZ ITS BEAUTIFUL and has big ovate influourescence a fuck you to our refugee immigration policies. #election2013 BIG QUAKING GRASS, RATTLESNAKE GRASS, BLOWFLY GRASS. EAT YOUR WEEDS - EDIBLE SEEDS AND LEAVES #bushfood

August 29, 2013




romantic grasses of the week: MORE LOVELY WEED FOR THE #ELECTION2013 campaign. PANICUM MAXIMUM or Megathyrsus maximus or megathyrsus infestus, common name guinea grass. a tall tussock 6ocm to 1.5m at maturity, main axis of panicle inflourescence can be up to 25cm long, oblong or pyramind.. often purplish in colour 900,000 seeds/kg. flowers the WHOLE year...Originates from Tanzania, Kenya. Can spread by rhizomes or stolons.. 

September 6, 2013


romantic grass of the week: ANISOPOGON AVENACEUS - a fragile looking native, likes light sandy soil and usually consists of 2 or 3 arching stems about 2m heigh with a frew fine-pointed leaves and a few dry dangling husks (the persistent outer glumes) resembling oat husks, hence the common name OAT SPEAR GRASS. the inflorescence is sparse and pendulous with a few large single-flowered spiklents on long fine stalks. at flowering each spikelet has 2 narrow linear outer gluemes 4 to 5cm long with a prominent stalked lemma between them. the lemma is densely hairy aand has3 awns, the central one twisted and bent and 5 to 9cm long, the outer 2 finer and much shorter. PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM OF SPIKELET.. can help you identify this grass.. flowers in october - november so look out for it!! nb, this is a monotypic genus - a genus with only one species.. a very special grass!! 

October 3, 2013


romantic grass of the week: oplismenus aemulus - creeping beard grass, basket grass, native in victoria, new south wales and queensland in shady spots. its a weak crawler, often forming a matt across the grass, but can be strong on lawns like Adam sussman's. leaves 1-10cm long, 4-18mm wide 

October 17, 2013


romantic grass of the week - this week the grass will get you high - phragmites australis (the common reed) - a perennial wetlands grass, spreads by runners..The leaves are long for a grass, 20–50 centimetres (7.9–20 in) and 2–3 centimetres (0.79–1.2 in) broad. The flowers are produced in late summer in a dense, dark purple panicle, about 20–50 cm long. Later the numerous long, narrow, sharp pointed spikelets appear greyer due to the growth of long, silky hairs. it occurs all across eastern australia.. and it is a pest in American wetlands as it secretes gallic acid which when combined with uv light is toxic to other aquatic plants. it takes two burns to get rid of this plant, coz its so strong.

October 30, 2013



romantic grass of the week - schoeneplectus validus - RIVER CLUB RUSH - my three fav words, sedges have edges grasses have joints, all rushes have edible roots, you can pound and roast them, starchy! a 2m tall rhizomatic spreading fresh water sedge. the reeds are a bluish-green, it flowers in summer with a tassel like seed head (a many rayed umbel) all along SE Australia and WA. #bushfood

November 10, 2013




ROMANTIC GRASS OF THE WEEK - kangaroo grass -themeda australis or themeda triandra-the most widespread grass in australia, cows can eat it too. its a tufted perennial that can grow to 1.5 m tall and 0.5 m across. Its leaves are 10-50 cm long and 2-5 mm wide, green to grey drying to an orange brown in summer. The flowering period is from December to February. It produces distinct large red-brown spikelets, which occur on branched stems and doesnt need much water

November 19, 2013



romantic grass of the week - today we look at two species of grass (it's been a looong week for romantic grasses). they were found together in a rainforest valley environment that had been cleared (see 3rd photo) they are JUNCUS PRISMATOCARPUS - BRANCHING RUSH AND JUNCUS USITATUS - COMMON RUSH. branching rush is a clumping rush up to 60cm, leaves flat and hollw to 5mm wide, up to 12 flowers in loose panicles to 20cm; flowers clustered at apex of branches; common rush has cylindrical stems flowers in panicles up to 10cm long, old flowers remain on plant all year, can be an early indicator of dryland salinity - all along SE Australia

 December 1, 2013




romantic grass of the week: cyperus haspan grows on margins of swamps and creeks in coastal area. these ones were found at MacKenzie Dam, sunshine coast hinterland, also in qld, nsw, wa and nt. up to 40cm tall, short-creeping, erect sedge, triangular leaves, flowers in compound with 5 - 20 branches up to 15 cm long 

December 3, 2013



romantic grass of the week: another this week to catch up to our 20th Anniversary!! wiry panic grass - entolasia stricta, although it is called a panic grass it is not related to panicum maximum - check out their different flowers.. in africa, the entolasia grows in woodlands but in australia they grow in scrub, shallow sandy, stony soil. like the first one was found in sandy beerwah state forest, its a perennial native, slender wiry, not very rigid stem up to 80cm. flower is 2-9 racemes that are 1cm to 7cm long, leaves have no mid vein. usually easily identifiable with their bent leaves almost 90 degrees 

December 16, 2013



romantic grass of the week - eragrostis interrupta - another love grass family, but this is a native, found sprawled over at peregian beach, qld and northern nsw, on sandy dunes, inflourescence is a purplish panicle but looks like lone spikelet 30-90cm long on a stem that can reach 1.8m, flowers and fruits mar-may, july, sep-dec, leaves a bit scabrous 

Dec 29, 2013




romantic grass of the week is blady grass - imperata cylindrica is everywhere in the aussie bush esp after a fire. its named after an italian botanist. found in asia, india and africa, up to 1mhigh, seedhead is a panicle up to 20cm long, spikelets hidden by white fine silky hairs that aid in seed dispersal. photos taken at mt barney and beerwah state forest - also #bushfood underground stems can be sucked and eaten. bit sugary. weaved to make dillys and roof thatching
 
Dec 30, 2013

romantic grass of the week - we have all had a roll around in the - COMMON COUCH - cynodon dactylon. i even found some in my coriander i bought from the shop and scanned it in. notice the identifiable hairs under the leaf bract. blades are grey-green 2-14cm. seedheads are produced in a cluster of two to six spikes, each spike 2-5cm long, DEEP ROOT system. reproduces thru seed, root and rhizome. in winter it goes brown. one of the few grasses that can grow in saline conditions. 7 varieties found in australia, 2 are native and 1 of the 2 only found in australia
 
Jan 7, 2013

 
romantic grass of the week = cyperus polystachyos - another sedge.. sedges have edges, grasses have joints.  a common sedge found in wet areas. also called bunchy sedge, inflourescence is a pale yellow to red-brown cluster less than 40cm leaf blade 10-60cm culms cylindrical diameter flattened. perennial rhizome short spikelets, triangular tufted
Jan 17, 2014






romantic grass of the week: barbed wire grass (cymbopogon refractus) widespread in coastal eastern Australia in poor soil but also found in NT. has a red/green seed heads which looks like barbed wire, 30-150cm tall, erect, mid-culm nodes glabrous. smells like ginger when crushed, (in lemongrass family).. these specimens found south of tenterfield near an abandoned railtrack

Jan 30. 2014





romantic grass of the week: today a suggestion from Matt Earle's day. in bloom at mt toohey happy chinese new year with lomandra multiflora or many flowered mat rush. as with all lomandras, they are dioecious separate plants have male and female flowers. grows chiefly in drier sites in woodlands in qld, nsw, vic and nt. female flower are stalkless, taller with a showy white bract and male flowers shorter, stalked and bell shaped. subsp multiflora is about 90cm with rigid leaves and subsp dura is 40cm with flat strap like leaves

Feb 14, 2014



romantic grass of the week - on a valentine's bushwalk? a perfect place for lovers - a mat of carpeting pademelon grass oplismenus imbecillus. a sprawling grass rooting at nodes, widespread and common usually in shady places. leaves sparsely hairly, purplish below to 8cm x 10mm flowering spikes to 6cm from the same family as the creeping beard grass (oct 3, 2013), different shape leaf and underside colour

March 24, 2014






romantic grass of the week: takes you to the beach with austrostipa pubescens. a type of speargrass found in sandy and heath areas along east coast mainly in NSW. found along nature reserves down pacific highway. pubescens translates to softly hairy its a tufted buch grass up to 1.5m. the seed curls up once its been picked, blade tightly rolled to expanded 4mm wide, awn bent twice 6-10cm long with panicle up to 30cm long. the upper bract of floret is distinctly longer than lower bract. lower bract 9.5-15mm long


April 1, 2014





romantic grass of the week - poa labillardierei- tussock grass - 30-120cm tall. lateral, simple branches, leaves coming from base, leave-blade flat or inrolled 0.6-5mm wide. inflourescence compound panicle 10-25cm long, with erect or erectly and loosely spreading branches, hairy and firm lemma and palea, found in S.E Australia,

April 16, 2014























romantic grass of the week: KIKUYU Cenchrus clandestinus or pennisetum clandestinum. TUFF AS NAILS, grass for after the moon eclipse. stoloniferous (spreads by creepers) and rhizomatous (spreads by underground creeepers,and any bit that gets chopped off). Culms prostrate,
3–15(–45) cm tall flat; Leaves: Bright green; folded
in bud; 7mm wide, 1-15cm long when mature, glabrous or slightly hairy, Spikelets are hiddenamong the leaves.
Fl owe r s /Se e d h e ads : Inconspicuous; may seemcovered in spidery threads of white filaments. perennial to 0.9 m high
is native to the region of East Africa that is home to the Kĩkũyũ tribe
Rooted nodes send up bunches of grass blades


April 27, 2014




romantic grass of the week - elytrigia repens a Club Sound Witches - CSW grass - really an introducedy austrian witch grass, can't really find it in qld. its a european couch, found mostly in vic, tas, sa, and nsw. its taller than our common lawn couch - cynodon dactylon. and its in a different tribe, its just got one spike as a flower not the 3 to 6 of our smaller lawn species. can be smoked as a resin, used as a poultice for pain relief, diuretic tea/anti-inflammatory. it also just spreads through rhizomes.. underground, not the rhizomes and stolons like our lawn couch. check out the rhizomes of elytrigia repens.. 

 April 27. 2014






romantic grass of the week - ottochloa gracillima - in tropical and subtropical wet eucalypt forest, weak spreading grass, to 30cm high, inflourescence compound panicle, mostly less than 6cm long with 2-4 primary branches, leaves are flat and taper to a point.

May 8, 2014

posted new photos from moorooka train station to megathysrus maximus
and the train yard also fuelled this post




romantic grass of the week- also snapped at moorooka train station - dicanthium aristatum.. the dicanthium family are pretty hard to differentiate some of them. they all have this flower that just spreads out like a hand in spikelets from the top and grow to about 1.3m and are known as bluestems.. the rigorous natives u r likely to see have a distinctive sub-apical (situated below or near an apex) cilia.. the naturalised like the ones in the photo, don't. with an obovate glume u can identify angleton grass.. d.aristatum

May 13, 2014








romantic grass of the week - giant rat's tail grass - Sporobolus pyramidalis and s.natelensis - culms erect 90-170cm tall and the inflorescense looks like a rat's tail when young, then a real thin pyramid when it gets older about 4cm-45cm long; found in NT, QLD and NSW, declared pest in queensland, seeds remain active for 10 years, prolific seed bearer about 85 000 seeds per square meter. similar to Giant Paramatta Grass - Sporobolus fertilis - but GPG gets a black smut on the seed


June 5, 2014




romantic grass of the week: brought to u by a foreign fountain grass pennisetum setaceum and a native swamp fountain grass cenchrus purparascens. the native likes moist areas in tropical and subtropical wet sclerophyll forests, dry sclerophyll forests, Brigalow forests, tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands, and temperate sub-humid woodlands in qld and nsw, with south australia and victoria got it on warning invasion list. the african fountain grass likes the dry, they both change color thru seasons,and arch and have purple flowerheads, and are translucent.. u need a magnifying glass to see the difference in the flowers.. some sceptics think cencrus purparascens isnt native.. first two with the wallabies is the african grass

June 30. 2014



#‎romanticgrassoftheweek‬ goes west in honor of Kelly Keating and Onnie Art and Henry Meals going to Darwin. We have Triraphis Mollis a purple needle grass. Annual or perennial. Culms erect, stature slender to delicate, 10–70(–120) cm tall, 2–3(–4) -noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Sheath becoming loose with age inflorescence - purple when immature, straw coloured when mature. paniculate, compact, oblong, 6–30 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, soft; central nerve extending to become awn, straight, 5–7 mm long; lateral awns arising from the margins, straight 6–7 mm long (see drawing); found in Western Qld, NT, WA and Western NSW

July 14, 2014




 romantic grass of the week - carpobrutus glaucescens (coastal pigface) a brutal creeping carpet with succulent leaf blades 2cm long, triangular in cross-section leaves, 6 cm flowers all year, edible reddish fruit to 30mm.. small fruit inside thick reddish skin like a small salty banana. leaves also edible.. good in asian green mix, quite salty. leaf juice also contains local aneasthetic for insect bites, sunburn, marine stings.. #bushfood #bushmedicine #masterchef #romanticgrasses #footscray photos are taken at Melbourne International Jazz Festival's show of Westhead Project with Matt Earle Dale Gorfinkel and Jim Denley.

Aug 18, 2014






romantic grass of the week: amphipogon caricinus (long greybeard greass).. its way out west native this week.. think burke, burnett in qld.. the amphipogon genus is mostly from WA, but found in red and sandy desert soil in all states. this rigid, erect tufted perennial to 50cm. leaves 8-30cm long, 5mm wide Flowers purple/green. looks like a sedge therefore sp name caricinus, but is a grass. sedges have edges, grasses have joints. mature cylindrical seeds, seeds have 5 awns. anyone heading to toowoomba for carnival of flowers in a couple of weeks..

Sep 8, 2014






romantic grass of the week: dianella caerulla (blue flax-lilly) this isnt actually a grass but looks like one when its not fruiting and flowering. the leaves are blade like 75cm long 5m wide straight or toothed.. 1/3 in sheath. sheath folds back on itself. perennial herb, tufted and solitary or matt forming.. fibrous big rhizome root. blue star shaped flowers exceed foliage making the plant up to 1m high 3-25 flowered. can tolerate damp but prefers dry. purple berries are edible ‪#‎bushfood‬ Dianella is the diminutive of Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting and queen of the woods and the original sp. was found in the woods of a French province; caerulea from Latin caeruleus, the deep blue of the Mediterranean sky at midday, referring to the colour of the berries. Caelum is Latin for sky, and is pronounced ky-lom, so presumably caerulea is pronounced ky-roo-lee-a (if you wish to pronounce it properly in Latin


Sep 10, 2014





romantic grass of the week: Spinifex Sericeus Beach Spinifex.. Yes its beach time. most interesting thing about this beach grass that holds the sand dunes together is the different flowers.. the female ones are globular up to 30cm in diameter and form tumbleweed seed like capsules that are transported by the wind.. and the male ones are a terminal cluster of spikelets.. silky hairy blades 35cm x 8mm found on beaches from FNQ to adelaide.. send me some photos when u at the beach.

September 10, 2014


romantic grass of the week quiz: (plus learn 2 new beach grasses) spot the difference between Zoysia Macrantha - prickly couch and sporobolus virginicus -saltwater couch... the zoysia grows up to 30cm (its a baby one in the photo) but the sporobolus grows up to 40cm. sporobolus has hairy leaves and its flower spike is thicker (has tiny branches with even tinier flowers on it

***************** ROMANTIC GRASS OF THE WEEK HAS A NEW HOME: HTTP://ROMANTICGRASSES.COM *******************



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