Grass family
POACEAE in Australia

Flower Families

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) & Christine Ashe

Plant Classes

Agrostis Blown Grass Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens	Austrodanthonia penicillata Slender Wallaby Grass Morwell Park, December 2001	Avena fatua Wild Oat Sydney, August 2006	Bambusa longispicula Spiky Bamboo Sydney, August 2006
Bambusa vulgaris Common Bamboo Sydney, August 2006	Cortaderia jubata Pampas Grass Concord, March 2007	Cymbopogon species Lemon Grass Sydney, July 2007	Dichanthium sericeum Silky Blue Grass Dulkaninna Station , South Australia Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens
Echinopogon caespitosus Bushy Hedgehog Grass Wyee, August 2007	Hordeum vulgare Barley Sydney, December 2006	Joycea pallida Red-anther Wallaby Grass Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens	Paspalum quadrifarium Tussock Paspalum Taree, April 2008
Pennisetum advena Purple Fountaingrass Sydney, December 2006	Poa tenera Slender Tussock Grass Morwell Park, December 1991	Saccharum officinarum Sugar Cane Bundaberg, October 2006	Sorghum bicolor Sorghum Concord, November 2006
Themeda triandra = australis Kangaroo Grass Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens	Thysanolaena maxima Tiger Grass Wyee, November 2008	Triticum aestivum Wheat Wyee, May 2009	Zea mays Sweet Corn Sydney, August 2006

Many caterpillars of Australian Butterflies and Moths favour the plants in POACEAE for their food. Many are agricultural pests on pastures, and on crops such as cereals and sugar cane. These Lepidoptera species include:

Geitoneura acantha	Hypocysta adiante	Hypocysta angustata	Ypthima arctous	Oreixenica correae	Argynnina cyrila
Hypocysta euphemia	Argynnina hobartia	Hypocysta irius	Oreixenica kershawi	Geitoneura klugii	Oriexenica lathoniella
Oreixenica latialis	Melanitis leda	Orsotriaena medus	Heteronympha merope	Geitoneura minyas	Heteronympha mirifica
Oreixenica orichora	Heteronympha paradelpha	Heteronympha penelope	Mycalesis perseus	Hypocysta pseudirius	Oreixenica ptunarra
Mycalesis sirius	Heteronympha solandri	Mycalesis terminus	Pelopidas agna	Herimosa albovenata	Parnara amalia
Telicota ancilla	Toxidia andersoni	Taractrocera anisomorpha	Neohesperilla xiphiphora	Oxycanus antipoda	Elhamma australasiae
Pterolocera amplicornis	Anthela acuta	Anthela ocellata	Anthela basigera	Anthela denticulata	Anthela euryphrica
Ephysteris promptella	Pamphlebia rubrolimbraria	Bathytricha truncata	Persectania ewingii	Dasygaster padockina	Metopiora sanguinata
Leucania stenographa	Mythimna convecta	Mythimna reversa	Mythimna separata	Synemon collecta	Chalciope alcyona

Herpetogramma licarsisalis

Cnaphalocrocis poeyalis

Bradina admixtalis