Quick Facts

Quick facts

• Fine-bristled Burrgrass (Cenchrus brownii) is an annual grass.
• It grows in disturbed places, particularly near the ocean and on limestone soils.
• It disperses by seed; its burrs detach easily from the spike and attach to clothing or animals.
• In Australia, it is found on islands off Western Australia and in the Torres Strait, as well as on the Northern Territory mainland.
• It is mostly an agricultural weed.

What Does It Look Like?

What is it?

Fine-bristled Burrgrass (Cenchrus brownii) is an upright to straggling annual grass. Its stems are initially horizontal, sometimes rooting at the points where leaves are produced, and then growing upright to 25–110 cm high. The leaf-blades are 8–40 cm long and 4–13 mm wide.

Flower clusters are green, 3–12 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, with many densely crowded burrs.

These burrs are 3.5–4 mm wide, with an outer ring of slender, barbed bristles to 7 mm long, surrounding a rigid cup with inter-crossing spines of similar length. The seed is egg-shaped and 1.9–2.6 mm long, and is shed encased in the burr (Sharp & Simon 2002; PIER 2008).

For further information and assistance with identification of Fine-bristled Burrgrass, contact the herbarium in your state or territory.

Flower colour

Green

Growth form (weed type/habit)

Grass

Where it currently grows? Preferred habitat

Fine-bristled Burrgrass is common in disturbed places, particularly near the ocean and on limestone soils (PIER 2008).

Are there similar species?

Fine-bristled Burrgrass has several relatives in Australia. The difficulty in identifying individual species has led to considerable confusion in botanical identification and in the use of common names (Mullen et al. 2005). Keys to the identification of the species found in Australia can be found in publications such as Sharp & Simon (2002). Due to the difficulties in identification, an expert may need to be consulted to confirm the identification,

For further information and assistance with identification of Gallons Curse, contact the herbarium in your state or territory.

Why Is It A Weed?

What are its impacts?

Agriculture: Fine-bristled Burrgrass is mostly an agricultural weed, but also occurs on beaches and in coastal habitats (PIER 2008).

How does it spread?

Fine-bristled Burrgrass disperses by seed. The burrs detach easily from the flower spike and attach to clothing or animals (PIER 2008).

What is its history in Australia?

It is not known how, when or why Fine-bristled Burrgrass arrived in Australia. There are herbarium records for Fine-bristled Burrgrass from Katherine, Northern Territory in the 1940s (Australian National Herbarium 2008; Queensland Herbarium 2008 )

How To Manage It?

Best practice management

Specific control methods for Fine-bristled Burrgrass are not known. However, other species of Cenchrus are controlled by physical or chemical means. The key to effective control is to exhaust the seed supply by cultivation, increasing competition, herbicide application, observing machinery hygiene protocols, and not buying stock from infested areas (Mullen et al. 2005).

Please see the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for chemical information http://www.apvma.gov.au

Does it have a biological control agent?

NO

When does it grow? (lifecycle/growth calendar)

Fine-bristled Burrgrass is an annual grass that flowers from April to June (Sharp & Simon 2002).

Where Is It Found?

Which states and territories is it found?

NT, QLD

What areas within states and territories is it found?

Fine-bristled Burrgrass is found on the offshore islands of Western Australia and the Torres Strait in Queensland and on the mainland in the Northern Territory (Sharp & Simon 2002; AVH 2008).

Where does it originate?

Fine-bristled Burrgrass is native to tropical America, but is now widespread (PIER 2008).

National And State Weed Listings

Is it a Weed of National Significance (WONS)?

NO

Where is it a declared weed?

NSW, WA

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the National Alert List for Environmental Weeds?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the Agricultural Sleeper List?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Names And Taxonomy

Main scientific name

Cenchrus brownii

Other scientific names (synonyms)?

Cenchrus inflexus R.Br.

Does it have other known common name(s)?

Fine-bristled Burr-grass, Brown's Burgrass, Brown's Sandbur, Burr-grass, Fine-Bristle Sandbur, Green Sandbur, Sandbur, Slim-Bristle Sandbur