Reed Sweetgrass, Water Meadowgrass, Reed Grass, Reed.

Robust rhizomatous and often reed-like perennial, sometimes rooting at lower nodes. Culms erect, to 250 cm high. Leaves: sheaths indistinctly cross-veined (often apparent only on abaxial surface); ligule 3–7 mm long, obtuse or truncate (often with a short central point), remaining intact; blade 22–60 cm long, 7–20 mm wide, indistinctly cross-veined, adaxially smooth or scabridulous. Inflorescences much-branched panicles, open or loosely contracted, 12–45 cm long. Spikelets elliptic, 5.5–12 mm long, with 3–6 (–10) bisexual florets; rachilla papillose or scabrous. Glumes oblong or ovate, obtuse to acute, 1-veined; lower glume 2–3 mm long; upper glume 2.8–4 mm long. Lemma ovate or elliptic, 2.5–4 mm long, obtuse (rounded when opened), entire, often weakly keeled, scaberulous. Palea shortly exceeding lemma, usually apically notched, papillose. Anthers 1.5–2 mm long. Caryopsis dorsiventrally compressed, not grooved.

Flowers November–February.

Naturalised.

Introduced. Scattered in near-coastal areas of Western Australia between Perth and Albany, uncommon in southern Queensland (where perhaps not truly naturalised) and New South Wales, but locally abundant along the Murray River and environs, extending to southern Victoria, northern Tasmania to near Hobart. Native of Europe and temperate Asia.

Occurs in wet areas such as creeks, dams and waterholes.

It is now a significant weed of wetlands in some areas.

W.A.: Gingin Brook townsite, K.L. Brown 361 (PERTH).

Qld: Mount Norman via Wallangarra, Darling Downs, Nov. 1944, M.S. Clemens (BRI).

N.S.W.: c. 3 km NW of Burraboi, near Wakool, 19 Feb. 1991, G. Sainty (NSW).

Vic.: Goulburn River, c. 7 km SW of Nagambie, R. Thomas 700 (MEL).

Tas.: near Yolla, Jan. 1954, W.M. Curtis (CANB, HO).

Previously used as a forage grass in wet areas, but suspected of being toxic to cattle (from presence of cyanic compounds) in some situations.

C.E. Hubbard, Grasses 3rd edn (rev. J.C.E. Hubbard), 122 (1984); W.M. Curtis & D.I. Morris, Student's Fl. Tasmania 4B: 230, fig. 70 (1994); A.J.G. Wilson (ed.), Flora of Australia 44A: 75, fig. 11D (2009).

Weiller, C.M. & Walsh, N.G. (2009). Glyceria (Poaceae), in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.), Flora of Australia 44A: 72–78. (ABRS: Canberra/CSIRO: Melbourne).

Adapted from C.M. Weiller & N.G. Walsh, Glyceria, Flora of Australia 44A: 72–78 (2009).