Kingdom Plantae Family Poaceae Scientific name Panicum decompositum | Order Poales Genus Panicum Rank Species | |
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Similar Panicum effusum, Astrebla pectinata, Panicum antidotale, Hopia, Astrebla | ||
Panicum decompositum, known by the common names native millet, Australian millet, papa grass, and umbrella grass, is a species of grass native to the inland of Australia. It occurs in every mainland state.
The leaves are hairless, up to 50 cm long. The seed spikes are typically 30–80 cm long, but sometimes up to 145 cm high. The seeds are 1.5 mm long.
Uses
Native millet is a staple food of outback Aborigines, who hand-harvest the seed to make damper, a traditional soda bread.
Farmers also highly prize the grass as pasture for stock.
References
Panicum decompositum Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA