Parramatta Grass, a highly invasive, hard-to-control perennial grass that aggressively colonizes pastures, roadsides, and disturbed areas in Australia. It's unpalatable to livestock, reduces pasture productivity, and includes several similar Sporobolus species often grouped under rat’s tail grasses.
Sporobolus africanus
Closely related to and often confused with:
Sporobolus fertilis (Giant rat’s tail grass)
Sporobolus natalensis
Sporobolus pyramidalis
Parramatta grass
Giant Parramatta grass
Rat’s tail grass
African lovegrass (⚠️ sometimes confused, but different genus)
Sporobolus grass
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Origin | Southern Africa |
| Naturalised in | NSW, QLD, VIC, parts of SA and WA |
| Main areas affected | Eastern NSW tablelands and slopes, coastal QLD |
| Habitat | Pastures, roadsides, fire trails, disturbed land, overgrazed areas |
| Soil preference | Tolerates infertile, acidic, sandy soils |
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Growth habit | Tufted perennial grass, forming dense tussocks |
| Height | 30–120 cm |
| Leaves | Narrow (1–5 mm), rough-edged, bluish-green, sometimes with purple base |
| Seedhead | Narrow, cylindrical, spike-like panicle with tiny seeds |
| Seeds | Very small, produced in huge numbers, can survive 7+ years in soil |
| Root system | Shallow but dense – outcompetes desirable grasses |
| Problem Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pasture domination | Crowds out productive grasses and legumes |
| Poor palatability | Livestock avoid it → grazing pressure increases on better pasture, worsening the problem |
| Low digestibility | Even if eaten, it provides very little nutrition |
| Fire hazard | Dense dead tussocks increase fuel loads |
| Difficult to control | Extremely resilient seedbank, resists slashing and fire |
| Notifiable weed | Declared in many local councils and high-priority species in NSW and QLD |
| Strategy | Notes |
|---|---|
| Chemical control | |
| • Flupropanate (e.g. Taskforce®) – residual herbicide, slow acting | |
| • Glyphosate – effective on young regrowth or spot treatment | |
| • 2,2-DPA (dalapon) – used in some pastures |
⚠️ Flupropanate must be used carefully — avoid runoff to desirable grasses
| Mechanical control |
• Slashing or burning alone is ineffective – often stimulates seed spread
• May be used to reduce biomass before spraying
| Pasture renovation |
• Replant with competitive pasture species: Rhodes grass, kikuyu, setaria
| Grazing management |
• Controlled grazing can reduce seed set
• Avoid overgrazing, which promotes spread
| Long-term monitoring |
• Seeds persist 7–10 years – must monitor and re-treat for several seasons
| Seed hygiene |
• Wash down machinery, clean boots and stock, avoid contaminated hay/feed
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sporobolus africanus |
| Common names | Parramatta grass, Giant Parramatta grass, rat’s tail grass |
| Lifecycle | Perennial tussock-forming grass |
| Key ID traits | Rough narrow leaves, cylindrical spikelets, dense clumps |
| Weed status | Declared or high-risk weed in many regions |
| Control level | High – requires multi-year, integrated management approach |
| Sporobolus africanus |
Parramatta Grass, a highly invasive, hard-to-control perennial grass that aggressively colonizes pastures, roadsides, and disturbed areas in Australia. It's unpalatable to livestock, reduces pasture productivity, and includes several similar Sporobolus species often grouped under rat’s tail grasses.
Sporobolus africanus
Closely related to and often confused with:
Sporobolus fertilis (Giant rat’s tail grass)
Sporobolus natalensis
Sporobolus pyramidalis
Parramatta grass
Giant Parramatta grass
Rat’s tail grass
African lovegrass (⚠️ sometimes confused, but different genus)
Sporobolus grass
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Origin | Southern Africa |
| Naturalised in | NSW, QLD, VIC, parts of SA and WA |
| Main areas affected | Eastern NSW tablelands and slopes, coastal QLD |
| Habitat | Pastures, roadsides, fire trails, disturbed land, overgrazed areas |
| Soil preference | Tolerates infertile, acidic, sandy soils |
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Growth habit | Tufted perennial grass, forming dense tussocks |
| Height | 30–120 cm |
| Leaves | Narrow (1–5 mm), rough-edged, bluish-green, sometimes with purple base |
| Seedhead | Narrow, cylindrical, spike-like panicle with tiny seeds |
| Seeds | Very small, produced in huge numbers, can survive 7+ years in soil |
| Root system | Shallow but dense – outcompetes desirable grasses |
| Problem Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pasture domination | Crowds out productive grasses and legumes |
| Poor palatability | Livestock avoid it → grazing pressure increases on better pasture, worsening the problem |
| Low digestibility | Even if eaten, it provides very little nutrition |
| Fire hazard | Dense dead tussocks increase fuel loads |
| Difficult to control | Extremely resilient seedbank, resists slashing and fire |
| Notifiable weed | Declared in many local councils and high-priority species in NSW and QLD |
| Strategy | Notes |
|---|---|
| Chemical control | |
| • Flupropanate (e.g. Taskforce®) – residual herbicide, slow acting | |
| • Glyphosate – effective on young regrowth or spot treatment | |
| • 2,2-DPA (dalapon) – used in some pastures |
⚠️ Flupropanate must be used carefully — avoid runoff to desirable grasses
| Mechanical control |
• Slashing or burning alone is ineffective – often stimulates seed spread
• May be used to reduce biomass before spraying
| Pasture renovation |
• Replant with competitive pasture species: Rhodes grass, kikuyu, setaria
| Grazing management |
• Controlled grazing can reduce seed set
• Avoid overgrazing, which promotes spread
| Long-term monitoring |
• Seeds persist 7–10 years – must monitor and re-treat for several seasons
| Seed hygiene |
• Wash down machinery, clean boots and stock, avoid contaminated hay/feed
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sporobolus africanus |
| Common names | Parramatta grass, Giant Parramatta grass, rat’s tail grass |
| Lifecycle | Perennial tussock-forming grass |
| Key ID traits | Rough narrow leaves, cylindrical spikelets, dense clumps |
| Weed status | Declared or high-risk weed in many regions |
| Control level | High – requires multi-year, integrated management approach |
