Australian native grasses bring the beauty and resilience of the bush into gardens, landscapes, and restoration projects. From ornamental tussocks that move gracefully in the breeze to hardy groundcovers that stabilise soil and prevent erosion, these grasses thrive in local climates with minimal maintenance. Many species also provide food and habitat for native wildlife, making them an essential part of sustainable Australian gardening.
Explore our guide to discover popular species, their ideal growing conditions, and how to use native grasses for habitat planting, low‑care lawns, or striking landscape features.
Australian Native Grasses come in five main types :
- Landscaping or Ornamental Grasses.
- Revegetation Grasses
- Aquatic Grasses
- Lawn substitute Grasse
- Pasture
The ornamental varieties are widely used in landscaping both as feature plants and for mass planting where low maintenance is a factor.
Well‑known natives like Poa, Themeda (Kangaroo Grass), Lomandra and Dianella can cope with a range of soils and exposures, and many also play a role in erosion control and habitat planting. Use this guide as a starting point to explore different groups of Australian native grasses, how they grow, and where they are best used in the garden or landscape.
The search for the ideal native grass continues in Australia. while many clumping species are used in landscaping it is the true ‘ grass like’ varieties that are currently being developed.
Many Australia native grasses such as Hermarthria uncinata are yet to be fully evaluated as to suitability for use in Australian Gardens as lawn substitutes. Ornamental Australian Grasses are widely used by landscapers and in the home garden.
Australian Native Grasses with common names and Uses.
Ornamental
- Carex appressa – Tall Sedge
- Carex fascicularis – Tassel Sedge
- Cymbopogon refractus – Barbed wire grass (textural feature grass)
- Dichelachne crinita – Long haired plume grass
- Dianella caerulea – Blue Flax Lily
- Dianella revoluta – Mauve Flax Lily
- Dianella tasmanica
- Imperata cylindrica – Blady grass (strong foliage colour, best in controlled beds)
- Lomandra confertifolia – Mat Rush
- Lomandra filiformis – Wattle mat-rush
- Lomandra longifolia – Spiny Mat Rush
- Pennisetum alopecuroides – Swamp foxtail
- Poa labillardieri – Large Tussock grass
- Poa poiformis – Coastal Tussock grass
- Poa sieberiana – Snow grass
- Spinifex sericeus – Coastal Spinifex (coastal ornamental/structural)
- Stipa scabra
- Stipa verticillata – Slender Bamboo grass
- Themeda australis – Kangaroo grass (ornamental and restoration)
- Themeda australis ‘Mingo’ – Dwarf Kangaroo Grass
- Zoysia Macrantha – Zoysia Grass or Prickly Couch
Australian Native Grasses Used For Revegetation
- Austrostipa stipoides – Coast Spear Grass
- Bothriochloa macra – Red Leg grass
- Capillipedum spicigerum – Scented Top grass
- Chloris truncata – Windmill grass
- Chloris ventricosa
- Danthonia caespitosa – Wallaby grass
- Danthonia linkii – Wallaby grass
- Danthonia richardsonii – Wallaby grass
- Danthonia setacea – Wallaby grass
- Dicanthium sericeum – Queensland Blue grass
- Eragrostis elongata – Clustered Love Grass
- Sorghum leiocladum
- Sporobolus virginicus – Sand couch
Lawn alternatives
- Hemarthria uncinata – Mat Grass (prostrate, running habit, being trialled as lawn substitute)
- Microlaena stipoides – Weeping grass (responds to mowing, suited to semi shade)
- Zoysia macrantha – Zoysia Grass or Prickly Couch (low, running, coastal tolerant)
- Paspalum distichum – Water couch (for damp/irrigated lawn‑like areas)
- Paspalum vaginatum – Salt water couch (lawn‑style cover in saline/coastal sites)
- Sporobolus virginicus – Sand couch (low coastal cover, occasionally used as lawn in tough sites)
Pasture
- Bothriochloa macra – Red Leg grass
- Dicanthium sericeum – Queensland Blue grass
- Danthonia species (Wallaby grasses) – D. caespitosa, D. linkii, D. richardsonii, D. setacea
- Microlaena stipoides – Weeping grass (dual use: pasture and lawn)
- Sorghum leiocladum
Aquatic / wetland / coastal fringe
- Juncus bufonius – Toad Rush (wet soils)
- Marsilea mutica – Smooth Nardoo (ponds, shallow water)
- Paspalum distichum – Water couch (wet soils, margins, sometimes lawn‑like)
- Paspalum vaginatum – Salt water couch (saline/coastal margins)
- Sporobolus virginicus – Sand couch (coastal foredunes and saline areas)
Mass Planting
For roadside plantings Poa labillardieri is an excellent choice while Poa poiformis with its green or blue green foliage makes an interesting border plant, nice tight clumps.
Another native grass worth considering is Carex Appressa, a versatile grass that grows in moist or dry conditions, it forms a nice tussock and has yellow seed heads as well.
What about a grass for damper conditions, try Ficinia nodosa (syn Isolepis nodosa) or ‘Club Rush’ reaching around 1m this tough native grass will also do well in coastal conditions, as long as its damp.
And the Pennisetums, Pennisetum alopecuroides is perhaps the most widely used, be a little carful here as many will self seed, and can tend to be a little invasive, but not all.
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