Midstorey

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Kangaroo grass Themeda triandra

Previously known as Themeda australis

When it flowers

Kangaroo grass or red grass or rooigras. A common native grass of Adelaide, photographed at Kopper's quarry, Anstey Hill recreation park, South Australia.
Kangaroo grass or red grass or rooigras. A common native grass of Adelaide, photographed at Kopper's quarry, Anstey Hill recreation park, South Australia.. Photo: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Camperdown Cemetery, Sydney, a remnant of native forest- Kangaroo Grass.
Camperdown Cemetery, Sydney, a remnant of native forest- Kangaroo Grass.. Photo: TTaylor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This photo is from Gardenology.org and is available under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. If you use it, please include attribution to Gardenology.org, with a link if the media allows it. If the name is missin…
This photo is from Gardenology.org and is available under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. If you use it, please include attribution to Gardenology.org, with a link if the media allows it. If the name is missin…. Photo: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Classic native grass with rusty-red seed heads in summer.

Once the dominant grass across much of Australia. Its blue-green to bronze tussocks make a beautiful natural meadow.

In the garden

  • Mass planting
  • Banks and slopes
Flowers
Rusty-red, drooping seed heads.
Leaves
Blue-green leaves turning bronze-red in dry weather.
Attracts
Butterflies and shelter for small wildlife

Growing conditions

Light
Full sun
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Frost
Hard frost
Water
Very drought tolerant
Climate
Subtropical, arid and semi-arid, dry summers (Mediterranean), temperate and cool and alpine

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed and division

Where it comes from

Native to
ACT, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia

Where to buy

Widely available.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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Further reading