Bull Mitchell grass
Astrebla squarrosa

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

Erect, shortly rhizomatous perennial, to 1.5 m high. Astrebla is a small genus of xerophytic (requiring little liquid water) grasses found only in Australia. They are the dominant grass across much of the continent distributed in Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales. Sometimes misspelt as Astrebla aquamosa

Astrebla squarrosa is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 1.5

Where it is found

Heavy, cracking clays on plains and river flats, sometimes with Lysiphyllum or Excoecaria, or in Dicanthium-Eulalia grassland and cleared Brigalow areas; flowers after rain.

Australasia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Carbon Farming Solutions - Staple Crop: balanced carb (The term staple crop typically refers to a food that is eaten routinely and accounts for a dominant part of people's diets in a particular region of the world). Cultivated in the past but largely or completely abandoned.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 1

Providing habitat for organisms such as mammals.

Historic Crop: These crops were once cultivated but have been abandoned. The reasons for abandonment may include colonization, genocide, market pressures, the arrival of superior crops from elsewhere, and so forth.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.

Historic Crop: These crops were once cultivated but have been abandoned. The reasons for abandonment may include colonization, genocide, market pressures, the arrival of superior crops from elsewhere, and so forth.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

Climate: subtropical to tropical. Humidity: semi-arid. Grow on clay soils, mainly between an upper limit of 600 mm average annual rainfall, and a lower limit of 200 mm, and even below in depressions where the water concentrates following rains e.g. in Sturt's Stony Desert. Mitchell grasses are deep rooted and become dormant during drought, allowing them to survive extended periods without rainfall. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: historic crop. Cultivated in the past but largely or completely abandoned. Management: standard (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

Propagating it: Wild. Seed.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 4-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Bull Mitchell grass, Mitchell grass

Synonyms

No synonyms are recorded for this name.