This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged animals, hay mixes, horse health, nature, needle grasses, plants, spear grass. Some grasses that produce a foxtail are themselves called "foxtail", also "spear grass". THE 'PEPPER-POT ' RED CAMPION The containers are shaken by the wind, scattering the seeds through the openings 26. The awn twists and untwists with the changing humidity gently driving the seed into the ground. In this way, these seeds are dispersed through animal excreta often many miles from the place of their origin and often to very inaccessible places like treetops and building cornices. Avoiding grass-seed contamination of carcases Robert Suter, Senior Veterinary Officer – Sheep, DEDJTR Attwood More than one-quarter of all direct consignment lines of sheep slaughtered in Victoria are reported to have grass-seed contamination by the National Sheep Health Monitoring Project (Figure 1). Common dispersal syndromes of anemochory are wing structures and brown or dull coloured seeds without further rewards. Utilization is by most grazers. Fruits of the lovegrass (Andropogon aciculatus), spear grass (Aristida), etc., are provided with stiff hairs often curved backwards so that they stick easily. A foxtail is a spikelet or cluster of a grass, that serves to disperse its seeds as a unit. 23. This resin is traditionally used as glue in spear-making and in patching up water containers. ... Lydia Bagley is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BS in Animal Science, emphasis on Equine Studies. The seeds are expelled in the droppings of the animal . This particular feature has earned Texas wintergrass an ugly reputation with the sheep and goat raisers. The burr is then dropped on the ground, away from the parent plant. ... and seed structures that are far better adapted for the natural processes of seed dispersal by wind, water and animals than for man-made seed harvesters. BALSAM 28. Sometimes, as in the case of Mistletoe, the seeds are covered in a sticky slime which the birds rub off on a new tree. Thus, the foxtail is a type of diaspore or plant dispersal unit. Grassed up - Seed harvesting and processing. Anemochory is facilitated by coma in Calotropis and Alstonia. Description Length up to 1 m. Spear Grass is a perennial and quite a fast-growing grass. All the burr-type seed pods are obviously designed for a relationship with hair-covered animals to which they can cling. The experiment in Kakadu National Park, Australia used seed of the Australian native Black Spear Grass (Heteropogon contortus) as a surrogate for the potential dispersal of weed seed. Once flowering occurs, its overall nutritive value declines and the sharp-pointed seeds and tangled awns may injure animals and humans (see Potential constraints on the "Nutritional aspects" tab). Humans can contribute to the long-distance dispersal of many plants, including weeds. The awns often penetrate the woolly coats of sheep and decrease the quality of the wool. The grass tree is important to Aboriginal people across Australia. The barbed tip of the seed catches in the coats and artificial coats (socks and clothing) of any and all passing animals insuring a wider dispersal. GORSE FIRING LIKE A GUN 27. Anemochory is defined as seed dispersal by wind. We assessed the distance for which seed remained attached to the socks and trouser legs of walkers. Spear Grass is only palatable early in the summer, after which it becomes hard and less acceptable for grazing.