Description
• Coarse tussocky grass to 2m
• Seed head to 40cm long resembling a rat’s tail
• No gaps between top and bottom of seed head
• Base of plant flat, fan-shaped in appearance
Flowering Times
• Flowers and seeds mainly summer to autumn
Control Measure
• Herbicides
• Farm hygiene – manage stock and machinery to prevent spread
• Management – pasture improvement
Problems
• Produces thousands of seeds per tussock per year
• Seed spread by vehicles, livestock, machinery, floods (not windborne)
• Extremely invasive, persistent and adaptable to varying climates and pastures
