Over summer, two researchers from Monash University visited the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park in Seymour to collect grass samples, specifically red-leg grass, for testing at the university.
Red-leg grass or Bothriochloa macra is common in grasslands in eastern Australia from southern Queensland to the warmer parts of Victoria, notably the upper Murray and lower Goulburn River valleys.
In recent seasons, the grass has been abundant around Seymour.
Monash’s HodginsLab member Dr Prasangi De Silva is exploring the species’ genetic diversity and climate adaptation across its range.
The study aims to determine the sustainability of red-leg grass for use in climate change-resilient ecological restoration of degraded Australian grasslands.
Red-leg grass has a perennial life span of five to 25 years.
It is drought-tolerant and can re-sprout after a fire.
Red-leg grass is one of many species considered for plant communities affected by warmer and drier environments as the climate changes.
It grows and flowers over summer in the central grasslands of the Light Horse Park.
