Wallaby Grass - a tough and palatable pasture option for low rainfall Southwest WA
Following on from our native grass feature in the January eNews edition, this month we are showcasing Wallaby Grass as a valuable perennial species in revegetation and pasture systems. The grass is widespread and abundant in the Southwest of WA and can thrive in low rainfall and low fertility conditions.
Common Wallaby Grass
Belonging to the genus Rytidosperma there are five known species found in WA (Bell, 2018).
Rytidosperma caespitosum (Common Wallaby Grass) Rytidosperma acerosum (Needle Wallaby Grass), Rytidosperma pilosum (Velvet Wallaby Grass) Rytidosperma occidentale (Western Wallaby Grass) and Rytidosperma setaceum (Smallflower Wallaby Grass)
It is difficult to tell the difference between the species, but the seed heads will be green, often tinged with purple and then fade to being papery and straw coloured once mature.
All species are small, clumping perennial grasses with flower stems of up to 1m high. It is an important winter active native pasture grass in low fertility and low rainfall zones of Southern Australia (Pastures Australia, 2009).
The different species will grow in a range of soil types, with some enjoying full sun locations and others preferring the part shade of woodland sites.
Wallaby Grass is palatable to livestock and is reasonably tolerant to grazing and will exhibit opportunistic growth and flowering after unseasonal rainfall events.
It often grows alongside other native grass species Chloris truncata (windmill grass) and Austrostipa variabilis (variable spear grass) and can be found in disturbed areas, along tracks and edges of bushland.
Wallaby grass can be slow to grow and is not highly persistent so tends to be out competed by introduced more weedy introduced species.
Regardless of these challenges, mixed seed of species from the genus is being harvested and marketed for lawn and landscaping purposes in the Eastern States
Published eNews #400, March 2025