Finger Panic Grass - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Digitaria porrecta

Conservation status in NSW: Endangered

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Profile last updated: 03 Jan 2019

Description

Finger Panic Grass is a loosely tufted grass growing to 60 cm tall. Its grey leaves are 2 - 3 mm wide with sharp hairs along the middle. The flowers are clustered together along a stalk in a cylinder shape. These flower clusters, which appear during summer, spread stiffly from the flowering stem, with the lower flower clusters arranged in a whorl of four to six, each up to 30 cm long.

Distribution

Finger Panic Grass occurs in NSW and Queensland. In NSW it is found on the North West Slopes and Plains, from near Moree south to Tambar Springs and from Tamworth to Coonabarabran. It largely occurs on private land.

Habitat and ecology

In NSW, the most frequently recorded associated tree species are Eucalyptus albens and Acacia pendula. Common associated grasses and forbs in NSW sites include Austrostipa aristiglumis, Enteropogon acicularis, Cyperus bifax, Hibiscus trionum and Neptunia gracilis.
Flowering season is summer or late summer from mid-January to late February, with seeds maturing and falling from the plant soon after.
Native grassland, woodlands or open forest with a grassy understorey, on richer soils.
Often found along roadsides and travelling stock routes where there is light grazing and occasional fire.
Digitaria porrecta is a perennial tussock-forming grass that can vegetatively reproduce.
Fire, livestock grazing and trampling, and physical disturbance of habitat by road and farm machinery are types of disturbances known to occur in Digitaria porrecta sites. Field observations indicate that the grass does continue to persist in such habitats but the effect of the disturbances on the long term capability of the species to maintain a viable population is unknown.
The total number of Digitaria porrecta individuals in the wild is estimated at over 200 000 plants. Plants have been recorded as occurring occasionally and frequently in populations.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

Clearing of native habitat for cropping and pastures.
Heavy grazing by domestic stock.
Destruction and disturbance of habitat for roadside maintenance.
Frequent fires.
None of the sites in which the species has been recorded are on protected lands, with most situated on road verges and stock routes surrounded by beef cattle grazing or cultivated lands.
Urban expansion.
Competition from invasive grasses such as Johnson grass, African lovegrass and Rhodes grass.
Risk of pesticide over-spray from adjacent cropping damaging plants.

Recovery strategies

Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Office of Environment and Heritage has identified 16 priority actions to help recover the Finger Panic Grass in New South Wales.

Activities to assist this species

Support local Landcare groups.
Manage fire in areas of known habitat to maintain populations of Finger Panic Grass.
Practice sustainable grazing to maintain native grass ground cover in areas of known and potential habitat.
Identify roadside populations and areas of habitat and protect during roadside maintenance activities.
Protect known populations and areas of potential habitat from clearing and disturbance.
Enter into Conservation Agreements to protect the main areas of Digitaria porrecta.

Information sources

Ayers, D., Nash, S. and Baggett, K. (1996) Threatened Species of Western New South Wales. (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney)
Blake, S.T. (1973) Taxonomic and nomenclatural studies in the Gramineae, No. 3. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 84: 61-70.
Briggs, J.D. and Leigh, J.H. (1996) Rare or Threatened Australian Plants. Revised Edition. (CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne)
CANB Herbarium Records. () Databased specimen records from the Canberra Botanic Gardens and Australian National Botanic Gardens (CSIRO and Australian National Botanic Gardens: Canberra).
Halford, D. (1995) Digitaria porrecta S.T. Blake (Poaceae). A Conservation statement. A Report Submitted to the Australian Nature Conservation Agency Endangered Species Program, Project No. 482 (Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage: Brisbane).
Halford, D. (1995) Draft Recovery Plan for Digitaria porrecta S.T. Blake (Poaceae). A Report Submitted to the Australian Nature Conservation Agency Endangered Species Program, Project No. 482 (Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage: Brisbane).
Jacobs, S.W.L. and Wall, C.A. (1993) Digitaria. In Harden, G.J. (ed.) Flora of New South Wales. Volume 4 (New South Wales University Press: Sydney).
Leigh, J., Boden, R. and Briggs, J. (1984) Extinct and Endangered Plants of Australia (The Macmillan Company of Australia Pty Ltd: Melbourne).
Stanley, T.D. and Ross, E.M. (1989) Flora of South-Eastern Queensland. Volume 3. Queensland Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane.
Thackway, R. and Cresswell, I.D. (eds.) (1995) An interim biogeographic regionalisation of Australia: a framework for establishing the national system of reserves. Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra.
Webster, R.D. (1983) A revision of the genus Digitaria (Haller) (Paniceae: Poaceae) in Australia. Brunonia 6: 131-216.

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

Brigalow Belt South	Liverpool Plains	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Liverpool Range	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Northern Basalts	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Northern Outwash	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Pilliga	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Pilliga Outwash	Predicted	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Castlereagh-Barwon	Known	None
Nandewar	Inverell Basalts	Known	None
Nandewar	Kaputar	Known	None
Nandewar	Nandewar Northern Complex	Predicted	None
Nandewar	Peel	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Eastern Nandewars	Predicted	None