Panicum effusum

Hairy panic is a perennial grass that reaches high. The leaves have tubercle-based hairs and are up to long by wide. The seed spikes are typically long, with the spikelets long. ==Taxonomy==

Prolific Scottish botanist Robert Brown described Panicum effusum in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. It still bears its original name. Ferdinand von Mueller described Panicum convallium, which he recorded from the banks of the Torrens and Gawler Rivers, on the Murray River and along the Flinders Ranges, in 1855. Common names include branched panic, hairy panic, effuse panic, native millet and poison panic. ==Distribution and habitat==

Found across Australia, particularly in the east and Papua New Guinea, hairy panic occurs on low- to medium-nutrient clay soils over shale or conglomerate. Its large range, abundance and stable population mean that hairy panic is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, and in fact may be becoming more abundant. Hairy panic is found on the following ecoregions in Australia: Shrubland, grass downs, tropical savanna, desert, woodlands, lowland rainforest, tropical rainforests, montane grasslands, sub-alpine grassland, mangroves, xeric scrub and temperate rainforests. ==Ecology==

Panicum effusum produces a dry, single-seeded, indehiscent fruit which is eaten by the stubble quail. The seeds are wind-borne, though can also be transported in mud on cars. In February 2016, the town of Wangaratta, Victoria, was invaded by large numbers of tumbleweeds of the plant, which piled up to roof height in places. giving it an advantage in conditions of drought and high temperature. ==Uses==

Hairy panic is a component of pastures, though not usually abundant. It is of moderate nutritional value to livestock. ==See also==