Chloris ventricosa

Chloris ventricosa R.Br. (Poaceae), commonly called plump windmill grass or tall chloris, is a tufted perennial grass native to eastern Australia, where it grows in open woodland, grassland and disturbed ground on a variety of soils. Culms are erect or geniculately ascending, 30-90 cm tall, arising from a knotty base with short rhizomes. Leaf blades are flat or folded, 10-25 cm long and 2-5 mm wide, with a short membranous ligule. The inflorescence is a digitate cluster of 4-10 spreading spikes 4-10 cm long radiating from the culm apex in the characteristic windmill arrangement of the genus. Spikelets are appressed in two rows along the rachis, each bearing one fertile floret with a conspicuous awn 5-12 mm long and one or two sterile lemmas above. The lemmas are pubescent on the keel and margins, and the caryopsis is laterally compressed. It is a useful native pasture grass.