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Grasses of Table Mountain & the Cape Peninsula

A quick guide to grasses found on the Table and Cape Peninsula.

Grass species are notoriously under-reported - especially in the Fynbos-rich southwest. This is an attempt to get to grips with grasses on the Cape Peninsula.

Looking for grass species, indigenous grasses, alien ...more ↓

Thinopyrum distichum ¹

Fern-grass
Catapodium rigidum

bristly dogtail grass ²
Cynosurus echinatus

Periballia minuta

pacific bent grass ³
Agrostis avenacea

Agrostis bergiana

Agrostis bergiana bergiana

African Bent
Agrostis lachnantha

Agrostis lachnantha lachnantha

Agrostis polypogonoides

Aira cupaniana

Annual Meadow-grass ⁴
Poa annua

Smooth Meadow-grass ⁵
Poa pratensis

Koeleria capensis ⁶

mediterranean beard grass ⁷
Polypogon maritimus

rabbitfoot grass ⁸
Polypogon monspeliensis

Polypogon strictus ⁹

water beard grass ¹⁰
Polypogon viridis

European marram grass ¹¹
Ammophila arenaria

Anthoxanthum dregeanum

sweet vernal grass ¹²
Anthoxanthum odoratum

Anthoxanthum tongo ¹³

Rescue Brome ¹²
Bromus catharticus

great brome ⁵
Bromus diandrus

Common Soft-brome ⁵
Bromus hordeaceus

soft brome
Bromus hordeaceus molliformis

Bromus leptoclados

Bromus pectinatus ¹

Hordeum capense

wall barley ¹⁴
Hordeum murinum

wall barley (ssp. murinum)
Hordeum murinum murinum

Barley ¹⁵
Hordeum vulgare

Durum Wheat ¹⁶
Triticum durum

rye ⁵
Secale cereale

slender wild oat ¹⁷
Avena barbata

wild oat ¹⁸
Avena fatua

Oat ¹⁹
Avena sativa

animated oat ²⁰
Avena sterilis

Winter Wild-oat
Avena sterilis ludoviciana

Animated Oat
Avena sterilis sterilis

cock's-foot ²¹
Dactylis glomerata

Yorkshire fog ²²
Holcus lanatus

Holcus setiger

Italian Ryegrass ²
Lolium multiflorum

Perennial Ryegrass ²⁰
Lolium perenne

Mediterraean Rye-grass ²
Lolium rigidum

Darnel
Lolium temulentum

Melica racemosa ²³

Nassella Tussock ²⁴
Nassella trichotoma

brome fescue ²⁵
Vulpia bromoides

Dune Fescue ²⁶
Vulpia fasciculata

Rat's-tail Fescue ²²
Vulpia myuros

purple false-brome ²⁰
Brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium flexum

Greater Quaking Grass ²⁷
Briza maxima

Quaking-grass ²⁸
Briza media

Little quaking-grass ²⁹
Briza minor

Festuca scabra ³⁰

nit grass
Gastridium phleoides

Timothy Canarygrass ³¹
Phalaris angusta

harding grass ³²
Phalaris aquatica

canary grass ⁵
Phalaris canariensis

Lesser Canary Grass ⁵
Phalaris minor

goldentop grass ³³
Lamarckia aurea

thintail grass ³⁴
Hainardia cylindrica

Borrer's Saltmarsh-grass ²⁵
Puccinellia fasciculata

Hare's Tail Grass ³⁵
Lagurus ovatus

Helictotrichon capense

Helictotrichon dodii

Helictotrichon hirtulum

Helictotrichon leoninum

Helictotrichon longum

Helictotrichon quinquesetum

tall oat grass ³⁶
Arrhenatherum elatius

Stipa dregeana

Stipa dregeana elongata

Stipa papposa

Edited by Tony Rebelo, leandra-k_89, and Lee, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

Photo Credits

1. (c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Rebelo
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Grasses of Table Mountain & the Cape Peninsula

Fern-grass Catapodium rigidum

bristly dogtail grass 2 Cynosurus echinatus

pacific bent grass 3 Agrostis avenacea

African Bent Agrostis lachnantha

Annual Meadow-grass 4 Poa annua

Smooth Meadow-grass 5 Poa pratensis

mediterranean beard grass 7 Polypogon maritimus

rabbitfoot grass 8 Polypogon monspeliensis

water beard grass 10 Polypogon viridis

European marram grass 11 Ammophila arenaria

sweet vernal grass 12 Anthoxanthum odoratum

Rescue Brome 12 Bromus catharticus

great brome 5 Bromus diandrus

Common Soft-brome 5 Bromus hordeaceus

soft brome Bromus hordeaceus molliformis

wall barley 14 Hordeum murinum

wall barley (ssp. murinum) Hordeum murinum murinum

Barley 15 Hordeum vulgare

Durum Wheat 16 Triticum durum

rye 5 Secale cereale

slender wild oat 17 Avena barbata

wild oat 18 Avena fatua

Oat 19 Avena sativa

animated oat 20 Avena sterilis

Winter Wild-oat Avena sterilis ludoviciana

Animated Oat Avena sterilis sterilis

cock's-foot 21 Dactylis glomerata

Yorkshire fog 22 Holcus lanatus

Italian Ryegrass 2 Lolium multiflorum

Perennial Ryegrass 20 Lolium perenne

Mediterraean Rye-grass 2 Lolium rigidum

Darnel Lolium temulentum

Nassella Tussock 24 Nassella trichotoma

brome fescue 25 Vulpia bromoides

Dune Fescue 26 Vulpia fasciculata

Rat's-tail Fescue 22 Vulpia myuros

purple false-brome 20 Brachypodium distachyon

Greater Quaking Grass 27 Briza maxima

Quaking-grass 28 Briza media

Little quaking-grass 29 Briza minor

nit grass Gastridium phleoides

Timothy Canarygrass 31 Phalaris angusta

harding grass 32 Phalaris aquatica

canary grass 5 Phalaris canariensis

Lesser Canary Grass 5 Phalaris minor

goldentop grass 33 Lamarckia aurea

thintail grass 34 Hainardia cylindrica

Borrer's Saltmarsh-grass 25 Puccinellia fasciculata

Hare's Tail Grass 35 Lagurus ovatus

tall oat grass 36 Arrhenatherum elatius