Hare's-tail Grass

Hare's-tail Grass photos

Family: Grass (Poaceae syn. Gramineae)

Scientific Name:

Lagurus ovatus

Hare's-tail Grass plants
Photo: A J Brown

Other Common Names:

Bunny Tails, Turk’s-head Grass

Status:

Native to the Mediterranean but naturalised around the world, including all Australian States except the Northern Territory.

Plant Description:

Small annual grass to 60 cm high but often much shorter. Leaves grey-green and velvety, to 20 cm long and 15 mm wide. Flower-head a near-globular or cylindrical to tear-drop shaped, contracted panicle, 1-7 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. Spikelets softly hairy and awned (soft bristles); silvery-green when young and becoming soft grey to white with brown bristles on maturity.

Habitat:

Common on coastal sand dunes and on sandy soils of inland parts. Although tolerant of salt-spray, Hare’s-tail Grass is not normally found in saline soil environments. Occasionally it does grow on sandy ridges on the edges of salt-lakes in western parts of the State and in the Gippsland Lakes.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Wimmera, Western, Gippsland	S0, *S1	W0, W1

Comments:

The flower-heads of this species are sometimes prized for their form and colour in flower arrangements.

Hare's-tail Grass Photos

Mature flower-head of Hare's-tail Grass Photo: A J Brown	Young flower-head of Hare's-tail Grass Photo: A J Brown
Leaf and flower-head of Hare's-tail Grass Photo: A J Brown	Flower-head of Hare's-tail Grass with exserted anthers Photo: A J Brown

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