thatching grass
Hyparrhenia hirta
Its stems are so durable and water-resistant that they have been used for centuries as premium traditional roofing thatch in Mediterranean and African villages.
- Scientific name
- Hyparrhenia hirta
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Poales › Poaceae › Hyparrhenia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry grasslands, savannas, roadsides, stony slopes, and disturbed open woodlands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis utilizing sunlight, water, and soil minerals).
- Range
- Africa, Southern Europe, Middle East, Western Asia, Australia, South America
- Size
- Dense tufts growing 1.0 to 1.5 meters tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (individual root crowns can live for over 10 years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Highly resilient with no major threats; considered an invasive weed in some non-native ecosystems.
- Safe to approach?
- Thatching grass is completely harmless to humans. You can walk through it safely, but be mindful of its sharp, twisting seed awns which easily cling to socks, clothing, and pet fur. Simply brush them off after your walk to avoid skin irritation or spreading the seeds.
Hyparrhenia hirta is a species of grass known by the common names common thatching grass and Coolatai grass . It is native to much of Africa and Eurasia, and it is known on other continents as an introduced species. In eastern Australia it is a tenacious noxious weed. In South Africa, where it is native, it is very common and one of the most widely used thatching grasses. It is also used for grazing livestock and weaving...
Photo: Drepanostoma, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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