Poa flabellata

Poa flabellata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Poa
Species:
P. flabellata
Binomial name
Poa flabellata
Synonyms
  • Parodiochloa flabellata
  • Festuca flabellata
  • Dactylis caespitosa
  • Dactylis coespitosa

Poa flabellata, commonly known as tussac grass or just tussac, is a tussock grass native to southern South America, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and other islands in the South Atlantic. There are also two isolated records from the herbarium at the French Muséum national d'histoire naturelle for the Île Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean.[1]

It was introduced to Shetland,[2] Scotland for basket making in 1844,[3] and possibly as a source of fodder[4] because of its ability to grow in hostile conditions.[citation needed].

Edward Gennys Fanshawe, tussac grass, Falkland Islands

It grows in dense clumps, usually about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high (although they can be much taller), on wet coastal land and is a dominant feature of much of the landscape.

  1. ^ "Poa flabellata occurrence records". GBIF.
  2. ^ Stace (2010) pp. 1013-1014
  3. ^ "Poa flabellata". On-line Atlas of the British Flora.
  4. ^ Stace & Crawley (2015) p. 445-446