Echinopogon is a genus of perennial grasses in the family Poaceae (order Poales), commonly known as hedgehog grasses for their bristly, spiky panicles. The genus comprises around seven species, native to Australia (where the majority of species occur, across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria), New Guinea, the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and New Zealand (including the North, South, and Chatham Islands), with an isolated occurrence on Norfolk Island.
Members of the genus are tufted or erect perennials, distinguished by their characteristic bristly, hedgehog-like seed heads, which give both the genus's scientific name and its common name. Species boundaries within Echinopogon have shifted over time; at least one species formerly included in the genus, E. gunnianus, has since been reclassified into Calamagrostis.
The best-known member is Echinopogon ovatus, the forest hedgehog grass, which has the broadest distribution of the genus, spanning all six Australian states, Norfolk Island, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and New Zealand's main and outlying islands.
Distribution
Echinopogon is native to Australia (where most species occur), New Guinea, the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and New Zealand, with individual species ranging as far as Norfolk Island and New Zealand's Chatham Islands.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus sits in family Poaceae, order Poales, and comprises about seven accepted species per GBIF. At least one species once placed in Echinopogon, E. gunnianus, has since been moved to Calamagrostis.
