''Panicum effusum'', commonly known as hairy panic, is a grass native to inland

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It occurs in every mainland state, as well as New Guinea. In dry conditions, the fast-growing grass can become a

tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumble ...

Description

Hairy panic is a perennial grass that reaches high. The leaves have tubercle-based hairs and are up to long by wide. The seed spikes are typically long, with the spikelets long.

Taxonomy

Prolific Scottish botanist Robert Brown described ''Panicum effusum'' in his 1810 work ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

''. It still bears its original name.

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

described ''Panicum convallium'', which he recorded from the banks of the Torrens and Gawler Rivers, on the Murray River and along the Flinders Ranges, in 1855.

Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s include branched panic, hairy panic, effuse panic, native millet and poison panic.

Distribution and habitat

Found across Australia, particularly in the east and Papua New Guinea, hairy panic occurs on low- to medium-nutrient clay soils over shale or conglomerate. Its large range, abundance and stable population mean that hairy panic is classified as ''Least Concern'' on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, and in fact may be becoming more abundant. “Hairy panic” is found on the following ecoregions in Australia: Shrubland, grass downs, tropical savanna, desert, woodlands, lowland rainforest, tropical rainforests, montane grasslands, sub-alpine grassland, mangroves, xeric scrub and temperate rainforests.

Ecology

''Panicum effusum'' produces a dry, single-seeded,

indehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

fruit which is eaten by the

stubble quail The stubble quail (''Coturnix pectoralis'') is a native Australian species which is the most common quail species in Australia. The species is not under any threat of extinction (IUCN Least Concern). Stubble quail are widespread and found throug ...

. The seeds are wind-borne, though can also be transported in mud on cars. The flowering of this plant occurs during summer. It is highly drought-tolerant, but is sensitive to frost. Under extremely dry conditions, the fast-growing grass becomes a

(that has evolved to disperse seeds) and can become a nuisance in residential areas due to the accumulation of grass stalks. In February 2016, the town of

Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, was invaded by large numbers of tumbleweeds of the plant, which piled up to roof height in places. Some residents blamed the problem on a local farmer who had failed to upkeep his

paddock A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1. Description In Canada and the United States of America, a paddock is a small ...

. Hairy panic uses C₄ carbon fixation, giving it an advantage in conditions of

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and high temperature.

Uses

Hairy panic is a component of pastures, though not usually abundant. It is of moderate nutritional value to livestock. Sheep consuming large quantities of hairy panic within 2–6 weeks of rain can suffer from photosensitivity and the fatal disease “yellow-bighead”. It also has some bush food value. The seeds can be ground and baked. Although there are plenty of seeds they may not be easy to collect.

References

* http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Panicum~effusum

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q7131127 effusum Poales of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of South Australia Flora of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Tumbleweeds