Offline access enabled

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 ↓

Fern-grass
Catapodium rigidum

bristly dogtail grass ¹
Cynosurus echinatus

Periballia minuta

pacific bent grass ²
Agrostis avenacea

Agrostis bergiana

Agrostis bergiana bergiana

African Bent
Agrostis lachnantha

Agrostis lachnantha lachnantha

Agrostis polypogonoides

Aira cupaniana

Annual Meadow-grass ³
Poa annua

Smooth Meadow-grass ⁴
Poa pratensis

Koeleria capensis ⁵

mediterranean beard grass ⁶
Polypogon maritimus

rabbitfoot grass ⁷
Polypogon monspeliensis

Polypogon strictus ⁸

water beard grass ⁹
Polypogon viridis

European marram grass ¹⁰
Ammophila arenaria

Anthoxanthum dregeanum

sweet vernal grass ¹¹
Anthoxanthum odoratum

Anthoxanthum tongo ¹²

slender wild oat ¹³
Avena barbata

wild oat ¹⁴
Avena fatua

Oat ¹⁵
Avena sativa

animated oat ¹⁶
Avena sterilis

Winter Wild-oat
Avena sterilis ludoviciana

Animated Oat
Avena sterilis sterilis

cock's-foot ¹⁷
Dactylis glomerata

Yorkshire fog ¹⁸
Holcus lanatus

Holcus setiger

Italian Ryegrass ¹
Lolium multiflorum

Perennial Ryegrass ¹⁶
Lolium perenne

Mediterraean Rye-grass ¹
Lolium rigidum

Darnel
Lolium temulentum

brome fescue ¹⁹
Vulpia bromoides

Dune Fescue ²⁰
Vulpia fasciculata

Rat's-tail Fescue ¹⁸
Vulpia myuros

Greater Quaking Grass ²¹
Briza maxima

Quaking-grass ²²
Briza media

Little quaking-grass ²³
Briza minor

Festuca scabra ²⁴

nit grass
Gastridium phleoides

Timothy Canarygrass ²⁵
Phalaris angusta

harding grass ²⁶
Phalaris aquatica

canary grass ⁴
Phalaris canariensis

Lesser Canary Grass ⁴
Phalaris minor

goldentop grass ²⁷
Lamarckia aurea

thintail grass ²⁸
Hainardia cylindrica

Borrer's Saltmarsh-grass ¹⁹
Puccinellia fasciculata

Hare's Tail Grass ²⁹
Lagurus ovatus

Helictotrichon capense

Helictotrichon dodii

Helictotrichon hirtulum

Helictotrichon leoninum

Helictotrichon longum

Helictotrichon quinquesetum

tall oat grass ³⁰
Arrhenatherum elatius

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

Photo Credits

1. (c) Harry Rose, some rights reserved (CC BY)
2. (c) Macleay Grass Man, some rights reserved (CC BY)
3. (c) AnneTanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
4. (c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
5. (c) Angela Noske, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Angela Noske
6. (c) 2009 Keir Morse, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
7. (c) 2006 Luigi Rignanese, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
8. (c) Petra Broddle, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Petra Broddle
9. (c) Sam Thomas, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
10. (c) John Barkla, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by John Barkla
11. (c) Brett Sandford, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Brett Sandford
12. (c) Nick Helme, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Nick Helme
13. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
14. (c) Antonio Ilardo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
15. (c) amy_b, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND)
16. (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
17. (c) Sara Rall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sara Rall
18. (c) Susan J. Hewitt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Susan J. Hewitt
19. (c) Bas Kers (NL), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
20. (c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Julien Renoult
21. (c) Doug Greenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
22. (c) Sarah, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
23. (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY)
24. (c) Kate Braun, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kate Braun
25. (c) Jed Aplaca, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jed Aplaca
26. (c) Christian Schwarz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Christian Schwarz
27. (c) José María Escolano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
28. (c) Michael Chassé, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Michael Chassé
30. (c) Sten Porse, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

Grasses of Table Mountain & the Cape Peninsula

Fern-grass Catapodium rigidum

bristly dogtail grass 1 Cynosurus echinatus

pacific bent grass 2 Agrostis avenacea

African Bent Agrostis lachnantha

Annual Meadow-grass 3 Poa annua

Smooth Meadow-grass 4 Poa pratensis

mediterranean beard grass 6 Polypogon maritimus

rabbitfoot grass 7 Polypogon monspeliensis

water beard grass 9 Polypogon viridis

European marram grass 10 Ammophila arenaria

sweet vernal grass 11 Anthoxanthum odoratum

slender wild oat 13 Avena barbata

wild oat 14 Avena fatua

Oat 15 Avena sativa

animated oat 16 Avena sterilis

Winter Wild-oat Avena sterilis ludoviciana

Animated Oat Avena sterilis sterilis

cock's-foot 17 Dactylis glomerata

Yorkshire fog 18 Holcus lanatus

Italian Ryegrass 1 Lolium multiflorum

Perennial Ryegrass 16 Lolium perenne

Mediterraean Rye-grass 1 Lolium rigidum

Darnel Lolium temulentum

brome fescue 19 Vulpia bromoides

Dune Fescue 20 Vulpia fasciculata

Rat's-tail Fescue 18 Vulpia myuros

Greater Quaking Grass 21 Briza maxima

Quaking-grass 22 Briza media

Little quaking-grass 23 Briza minor

nit grass Gastridium phleoides

Timothy Canarygrass 25 Phalaris angusta

harding grass 26 Phalaris aquatica

canary grass 4 Phalaris canariensis

Lesser Canary Grass 4 Phalaris minor

goldentop grass 27 Lamarckia aurea

thintail grass 28 Hainardia cylindrica

Borrer's Saltmarsh-grass 19 Puccinellia fasciculata

Hare's Tail Grass 29 Lagurus ovatus

tall oat grass 30 Arrhenatherum elatius