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

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. 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 tumbl ...

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 Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

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 book by the botanist Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and ...

''. It still bears its original name.

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 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 Victoria, Australia ...

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 con ...

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 an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

, 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 ...

fruit which is eaten by the stubble quail. 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 a population of 29,808 per the 2021 Australian Census. The city is located at the confluence, junction of the Ovens River, ...

, Victoria, 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 The most common design provides an area for exercise and is ofte ...

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

drought A drought is a period of 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, ...

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 called 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 (state) Flora of South Australia Flora of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Tumbleweeds