Sporobolus caroli

Sporobolus caroli is known as fairy grass. It belongs to Poaceae, the grass family. It is native to Australia. Its range includes New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It also grows in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Kew places it in deserts or dry shrublands. Other records place it by inland rivers and creeks. It also grows along roads and on disturbed ground.

This grass forms clumps. It may live for one season or several years. PFAF calls it perennial, which means it lives for years. Kew and Useful Tropical Plants allow both life cycles. Both plant databases list its height as about 1.3 feet [0.4 metres]. Useful Tropical Plants also records stems, called culms, reaching 2 feet [0.6 metres]. Its flowerheads form broad, open panicles: clusters with very thin branches. These reach about 0.8 feet [0.25 metres] long. They hold many tiny spikelets, each about one millimetre long. The flowers have both male and female organs. Wind carries the pollen.

It grows on floodplains with clay soils. Useful Tropical Plants notes sites that flood for part of the year. This gives more detail than Kew’s broad dry-region record. PFAF says it prefers moist soil. It grows in warm temperate to tropical parts of Australia. No one has established its hardiness in Britain. The sources give little tested garden advice for this species. Their broad advice for the genus does not show its exact needs.

People sometimes gather seed from wild plants for food. They eat it raw or cook it. They can also grind it to make flour. The grains are small but come free of their husks with ease. PFAF gives its food value a low rating. Neither plant database lists a use as medicine. Neither lists any other practical use. Both report no known hazards. This does not prove safety in every setting.

The sources describe growing plants from seed and by splitting clumps. Sow seed with just a thin cover of soil. Seeds may take about two weeks to sprout. Split well-rooted clumps in spring. Plant larger pieces straight into their final sites. PFAF says to grow smaller pieces in pots until they take root. It lists garden beds as a place to grow this grass. The supplied records give no bloom season. They also name no specific pest or disease problems.