Plume Sorghum – Sarga plumosum

Name

Sarga, the meaning is obscure; plumosum from the Latin for feathery, referring to the long hairs giving the pedicels a feathery appearance.

Description

Sarga plumosum is a tufted, perennial grass 1–3 m tall. The stems have distinctive bearded nodes. Leaves usually have a white mid-rib, and vary in colour from shiny green to blue-green. The inflorescence is usually a dense panicle 12–45 cm long with dark red-brown spikelets.

Distribution and Habitat

Plume Sorghum is native to Australia and tropical Asia. It is found on sands, red earths and heavy loams, and grows in swamps, claypans, watercourses, waterholes and valleys.

Ecological Notes

The seeds of this species are eaten by gouldian finch, masked finch and long-tailed finch.

Propagation

Seeds need to be stored for nine months to overcome dormancy.

References

• Gardner CA (1952) Flora of Western Australia Vol. 1, Part 1. In ‘Gramineae’. (Government Printer:Perth)
• Jacobs SWL, Whalley RDB, Wheeler DJB (2008) ‘Grasses of New South Wales (Fourth Edition).’ (University of New England: Armidale)
• Sharp D, Simon BK (2002) AusGrass: grasses of Australia. CD-ROM, Version 1.0. (Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra, and Environmental Protection Agency: Brisbane)
• Simon BK (1993) ‘A Key to Australian Grasses.’ (Qld Dept Primary Industries: Brisbane)
• Tothill JC, Hacker JB (1983) ‘The grasses of southern Queensland.’ (University of Queensland Press:St Lucia)

Related Pages

• Native Grasses