chionochloa reedgrass calamagrostis flabellata melica nassella festuca tussock carex deschampsia poaceae fescue needlegrass sedge poa californica purpurascens 02507 dropseed rubra pulchra brome ecol anther mycorrhiza caerulea scrublands smolder purpurea aspera
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Tussock ( grass ) - wikipedia Tussock ( grass ) Jump to : navigation , search Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are found as native plants in natural ecosystems , as forage in pastures , and as ornamental grasses in gardens . Tussock and bunch grasses , in the Poaceae family , are grasses that usually grow as singular plants in clumps , tufts , hummocks , or bunches , rather than forming a sod or lawn , in meadows , grasslands , and prairies . As perennial plants usually , they live more than one season . Many species have long roots that may reach 2 meters ( 6.6 ft ) or more into the soil , which can aid slope stabilization , erosion control , and soil porosity for precipitation absorption . Also , their roots can reach moisture more deeply than other grasses and annual plants during seasonal or climatic droughts . The plants provide habitat and food for insects ( including Lepidoptera ) , birds , small animals and larger herbivores , and support beneficial soil mycorrhiza . The leaves supply material , such as for basket weaving , for indigenous peoples and contemporary artists . Tussock and bunch grasses occur in almost any habitat where other grasses are found , including : grasslands , savannas and prairies , wetlands and estuaries , riparian zones , shrublands and scrublands , woodlands and forests , montane and alpine zones , tundra and dunes , and deserts . Tussock - bunch grasslands , dormant season , in the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic Bunch - tussock grasses in the Konza tallgrass prairie Contents ( hide ) 1 Fire resistance 2 Genera 3 Species 3.1 Australia 3.2 New Zealand 3.3 North America 3.4 South America 3.5 Africa 3.6 Europe 4 See also 4.1 Non-Poaceae tussocks 5 References 6 External links Fire resistance ( edit ) In western North American wildfires , bunch grasses tend to smolder and not ignite into flames , unlike invasive species of annual grasses that contribute to a fire 's spreading . Genera ( edit ) Some genera examples : Brachypodium Calamagrostis Chionochloa Deschampsia Festuca Heteropogon - ( tropical climates ) Leymus Melica Muhlenbergia Nassella Stipa Species ( edit ) Australia ( edit ) Larvae of the Geitoneura klugii feed on grasses like slender tussock grass , kangaroo grass , and false brome . Button grass -- ( Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus ) Common tussock - grass -- ( Poa labillardierei ) Grey tussock - grass -- ( Poa sieberiana ) Red anther wallaby grass -- ( Joycea pallida ) Triodia , formerly Plectrachne New Zealand ( edit ) Further information : Tussock grasslands of New Zealand Red tussock -- ( Chionochloa rubra ) Other New Zealand tussock grass : Chionochloa australis C. flavescens Festuca novaezelandiae Poa caespitosa P. colensoi P. foliosa North america ( edit ) Bunch grasses : Purple three - awn -- ( Aristida purpurea ) Blue grama -- ( Bouteloua gracilis ) Leafy reedgrass -- ( Calamagrostis foliosa ) - ( endemic to California ) Pacific reedgrass -- ( Calamagrostis nutkaensis ) Purple reedgrass -- ( Calamagrostis purpurascens ) California oatgrass ( Danthonia californica ) Hare 's - tail cottongrass -- ( Eriophorum vaginatum ) California fescue -- ( Festuca californica ) Idaho fescue -- ( Festuca idahoensis ) Red fescue -- ( Festuca rubra ) Junegrass -- ( Koeleria macrantha ) Giant wildrye -- ( Leymus condensatus ) California melic -- ( Melica californica ) Smallflower melic -- ( Melica imperfecta ) Deer grass -- ( Muhlenbergia rigens ) Foothill needlegrass -- ( Nassella lepida ) Purple needlegrass -- ( Nassella pulchra ) - ( The state grass of California ) Pine bluegrass -- ( Poa secunda ) Prairie dropseed -- ( Sporobolus heterolepis ) Salt couch grass -- ( Sporobolus virginicus ) Eastern gamagrass -- ( Tripsacum dactyloides ) South America ( edit ) Tufted hair - grass -- ( Deschampsia cespitosa ) - ( up through North America ) Serrated tussock -- ( Nassella trichotoma ) - ( common pasture weed in Australia ) Tussac grass -- ( Poa flabellata ) ( Synonyms : Parodiochloa flabellata , Festuca flabellata , Dactylis caespitosa ) Africa ( edit ) Perennial tussock grass -- ( Heteropogon contortus ) - ( to Asia , Australasia , Oceania ) Europe ( edit ) Rope grass -- ( Ampelodesmos mauritanicus ) Purple moor grass -- ( Molinia caerulea ) - ( to west Asia and north Africa ) See also ( edit ) Plants portal Bunch grasses of California List of Poaceae genera Tussock ( disambiguation ) Tussock grassland Non-Poaceae tussocks ( edit ) Fibrous tussock - sedge ( Carex appropinquata ) Rough saw - sedge ( tussock ) ( Gahnia aspera ) Tussock sedge ( Carex stricta ) References ( edit ) Jump up ^ R.H. Groves , R.D.B. Whalley `` Grass and Grassland Ecology in Australia '' in Flora of Australia Volume 43 Poaceae 1 : Introduction and Atlas , CSIRO Publishing , Canberra . `` Tussock '' grass implies a vertical orientation of the grass clump . In North American usage `` Bunch grass '' is more specific and defines a clumping , non-rhizomatous or non-stoloniferous growth form , vertical to splayed , and usually perennial with a deeper rooting system than other Poacea . Jump up ^ Crampton , Beecher . `` Grasses in California . University of California Press . Berkeley . 1974 . ISBN 0 - 520 - 02507 - 5 . p. 7 Walker , T.W. 1955 `` The Ecology of Tussock Grasslands : Discussion '' Proc. NZ Ecol . Soc 3 : 7 `` One fifth of New Zealand carries tussock or bunch grass vegetation , more than other steppes , prairies , or grasslands of the world '' Jump up ^ Walker , T.W. 1955 `` The Ecology of Tussock Grasslands : Discussion '' Proc. NZ Ecol . Soc 3 : 7 `` One fifth of New Zealand carries tussock or bunch grass vegetation , more than other steppes , prairies , or grasslands of the world '' Jump up ^ Ellsworth and Kauffman , 2010 , Native Bunchgrasses Response to Prescribed fire in Ungrazed Grasslands Jump up ^ `` California Native Grasslands Association ; access date : 6 / 9 / 2010 '' . Cnga.org. 2012 - 07 - 20 . Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 23 . External links ( edit ) California Native Grasslands Association : Bunchgrass species & habitats : preservation & restoration http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/plants/grass-key Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tussock_(grass)&oldid=788342340 '' Categories : Grasses Biogeography Poaceae Grasslands Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Deutsch Español Esperanto Français Italiano Polski Português Русский Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Žemaitėška Edit links This page was last edited on 30 June 2017 , at 22 : 27 . 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