26 



PASTURE PLANTS AND PASTURES OF N.Z. 



both. The grass is low growing, and is of a greyish green 

 colour. It has usually some sparse hairs on the sheath 

 and blade, but its most notable character is a tuft 



of long silky hairs round the 

 base of the blade near where the 

 ligule appears in most grasses. 

 There is no lateral expansion of 

 the base of the blade suggesting 

 ears, and this last point is 

 necessary to differentiate it from 

 Microloena. 



Danthonia is a perfectly 

 permanent grass, producing a 

 small amount of feed of rather 

 low palatability. In the South 

 Island, therefore, it is usually 

 looked upon as a weed to be 

 burned or ploughed out so as 

 to make room for better grasses. 

 This is especially the case where 

 of recent years Danthonia has 

 shown a tendency to spread 

 into pastures whence it was 



banished by the plough when the tussock was first 

 broken up. It is there thought to be killing out the 

 English grasses, whereas it is probably only filling up bare 

 spaces caused by the death of the plants unsuitable for per- 

 manent pastures. The seed is easily carried in the wool of 

 sheep. Danthonia is commonest on dry, clay hills, or stony 

 flats, and has the great merit of being able to thrive in districts 

 too dry to support almost any other grass. Che wings Fescue 

 is its only rival in this respect, and of the two Danthonia is the 

 less unpalatable, and has the advantage of being easily got rid 

 of if it is desired to bring the land again under the plough. 



Fig. 16. Danthonia 



semiannularis. 



