Amphipogon caricinus var. caricinus
Poaceae
Long Grey Beard-grass,
Long Grey-beard Grass,
Kutan#u
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.


Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
Display IBRA region text
Tintinara (NCP04) | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [likes white sands; limited habitat] |
Fleurieu (KAN02) | Kanmantoo | Near Threatened [restricted to sand; needs fire or disturbance to set seed] |
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01) | Flinders Lofty Block | Near Threatened [restricted to sand; could be some incorrect ID's] |
Broughton (FLB02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Southern Flinders (FLB04) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Northern Flinders (FLB05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) |
Central Flinders (FLB06) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) (Probable Decline) [limited habitat] |
Southern Yorke (EYB01) | Eyre Yorke Block | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
St Vincent (EYB02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Eyre Hills (EYB03) | | Least Concern [likes sand dunes] |
Talia (EYB04) | | Least Concern [limited habitat] |
Eyre Mallee (EYB05) | | Least Concern [likes sand dunes] |
South Olary Plain (MDD01) | Murray Darling Depression | Near Threatened (Probable Decline) [likes sand; regenerates after fire; grazing by goats & drought are threats] |
Murray Mallee (MDD02) | | Least Concern |
Murray Lakes and Coorong (MDD03) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [limited habitat] |
Lowan Mallee (MDD04) | | Least Concern |
Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i)) |
Myall Plains (GAW01) | Gawler | Least Concern [likes sand dunes] |
Gawler Lakes (GAW03) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Kingoonya (GAW05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
Roxby (GAW07) | | Near Threatened [widespread ] |
Commonwealth Hill (GAW08) | | Least Concern |
Maralinga (GVD03) | Great Victoria Desert | Least Concern |
Kintore (GVD04) | | Least Concern |
Tallaringa (GVD05) | | Least Concern |
Yellabinna (GVD06) | | Least Concern [likes sand dunes] |
Carlisle (NUL01) | Nullarbor | Least Concern |
Yalata (NUL03) | | Least Concern [likes sand dunes] |
Barrier Range Outwash (BHC04) | Broken Hill Complex | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Lake Pure (CHC07) | Channel Country | Near Threatened [comes up after rain] |
Mann-Musgrave Block (CER01) | Central Ranges | Least Concern |
Watarru (CER02) | | Least Concern |
Tieyon (FIN03) | Finke | Least Concern |
Pedirka (FIN04) | | Least Concern |
Tintinara (NCP04) | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [likes white sands; limited habitat] |
Fleurieu (KAN02) | Kanmantoo | Near Threatened [restricted to sand; needs fire or disturbance to set seed] |
5 of 6 subregions | Flinders Lofty Block | Near Threatened , Rare |
5 of 5 subregions | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern , Rare |
4 of 6 subregions | Murray Darling Depression | Least Concern , Near Threatened , Rare |
Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i)) |
5 of 8 subregions | Gawler | Least Concern , Near Threatened , Rare |
4 of 4 subregions | Great Victoria Desert | Least Concern |
2 of 3 subregions | Nullarbor | Least Concern |
Barrier Range Outwash (BHC04) | Broken Hill Complex | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Lake Pure (CHC07) | Channel Country | Near Threatened [comes up after rain] |
2 of 3 subregions | Central Ranges | Least Concern |
2 of 2 subregions | Finke | Least Concern |
Common names
Long Grey Beard-grass
Long Grey-beard Grass
Kutan#u
Etymology
Amphipogon from the Greek 'amphi' meaning double and 'pogon' meaning beard, alluding to the hairs around the spikelet rachis. Caricinus from the Latin 'carex' meaning reed-grass and 'inus' meaning belonging to, alluding to its similarity to Carex.
Distribution and status
Found in hilly areas with sandy skeletal or red earth soils across much of the drier parts of South Australia. Also found in all other mainland States. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Grass to 60cm high, with tufted or with very short more or less oblique rhizome. Leaf blades to 15 cm long. Panicle oblong to narrow-cylindrical to 4cm long, less than 1 cm broad. Spikelets 9-10 mm long. Fruits are lemma 6-8 mm long (including the awns), awn hairs (cilia) continuing (without reduction in length) right to the awn-tips; anthers c. 3 mm long. Seeds are yellow-brown grain to 3mm long. Seed embryo type is lateral.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and December. Use hands to gently strip seeds off the mature seedheads that are turning straw colour. Mature seeds will come off easily. Alternatively, you can break off the whole seedheads. Place the seeds/seedheads in a tray and leave to dry for two weeks. No further cleaning is required if only seed collected. If seedheads collected, use hand to strip off the mature seeds. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry plac From one collection, the seed viability was low, at 25%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.