© Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, some rights reserved (CC-BY) · Wikimedia Commons
Entolasia spp.
Overview
Entolasia is a genus of about five perennial grasses in the family Poaceae, native to eastern Australia and parts of Africa. They are slender, tufted to shortly creeping grasses of open forest, woodland, and heath, usually growing 12 to 36 in (30 to 90 cm) tall. The thin, flat to inrolled leaf blades arise from wiry stems, and in some species the leaf bases and margins are conspicuously bordered, a feature that gives E. marginata its common name, bordered panic. Small spikelets are carried in narrow, open or contracted panicles held above the foliage in the warmer months. Like most native panic grasses, they are wind-pollinated and supply modest grazing for stock and habitat for ground-dwelling wildlife. The species are warm-season grasses with little frost hardiness and are seldom cultivated, occurring instead as part of natural ground layers and in revegetation of bushland. They can be inconspicuous and are easily overlooked among showier grasses.
Native Range
Native to eastern Australia, from Queensland through New South Wales to Victoria and Tasmania, with some species in Africa, growing in open eucalypt forest, woodland, and heath, often on sandy or shallow soils.Suggested Uses
Used in native grassland and bushland revegetation, informal native gardens, and as a ground layer under trees and shrubs in eastern Australia. The tufts give cover and seed for small birds and other wildlife. They suit low-maintenance, low-fertility sites rather than ornamental borders.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 3'
Width/Spread6" - 2'
Bloom Information
Flowering and seed-set occur mainly in summer and autumn, the timing influenced by rainfall. The wind-pollinated spikelets have no showy parts. Seed ripens and sheds over the following weeks.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
Green to strawFoliage Description
GreenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight