Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are found as native plant

Native plant

Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...

s in natural ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

s, as forage

Forage

Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...

 in pasture

Pasture

Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...

s, and as ornamental grass

Ornamental grass

Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. They have become increasingly popular in gardens in recent years.-Classifications:...

es in gardens.
Flint Tussock and bunch grasses, in the Poaceae

Poaceae

The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...

 family, are grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

es that usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, or bunches, rather than forming a sod

Sod

Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of thin material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns...

 or lawn

Lawn

A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...

, in meadow

Meadow

A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...

s, grassland

Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...

s, and prairies. As perennial plant

Perennial plant

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...

s usually, they live more than one season

Many species have long roots that may reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) or more into the soil, which can aid slope stabilization, erosion control, and soil porosity

Characterisation of pore space in soil

Soil is essential to most animals on the earth. It is a relatively thin crust where an even smaller portion contains much of the biological activity. Soil consists of three different phases. A solid phase that contains mainly minerals of varying sizes as well as organic compounds. The rest is pore...

 for precipitation absorption. Also, their roots can reach moisture more deeply than other grasses and annual plants during seasonal or climatic droughts. The plants provide habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 and food for insects (including Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

), birds, small animals and larger herbivore

Herbivore

Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...

s, and support beneficial soil mycorrhiza

Mycorrhiza

A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....

. The leaves supply material, such as for basket weaving

Basket weaving

Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape...

, for indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

 and contemporary artists.

Tussock and bunch grasses occur in almost any habitat where other grasses are found, including: grasslands, savannas and prairies, wetlands and estuaries

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

, riparian zone

Riparian zone

A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...

s, shrubland

Shrubland

Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...

s and scrublands, woodland

Woodland

Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...

s and forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s, montane

Montane

In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...

 and alpine

Alpine climate

Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....

 zones, tundra

Tundra

In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...

 and dune

Dune

In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...

s, and deserts

Déserts

Déserts is a piece by Edgard Varèse for brass , percussion , piano, and tape. Percussion instruments are exploited for their resonant potential, rather than used solely as accompaniment...

.

Fire resistance

In western North American wildfire

Wildfire

A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...

s, bunch grasses tend to smolder and not ignite into flames, unlike invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

 of annual grasses

Invasive grasses of North America

Grasses are one of the most abundant floras on all continents except Antarctica. Their divergence is estimated to have taken place 200 million years ago. Humans have intentionally and unintentionally introduced these species to North America through travel and trade. On the North American plains,...

 that contribute to a fire's spreading.

Genera

Some Genera examples:

• Brachypodium
  Brachypodium
  Brachypodium is a genus of about 26 annual or perennial bunch grasses from the Northern Hemisphere. Flimsy upright stems form tussocks. Flowers appear in compact spike-like racemes with 5-25 flowers on each short-stalked spikelet in summer...
  
  
• Calamagrostis
  Calamagrostis
  Calamagrostis, or Small-reed or Reedgrass, is a genus in the Grass family Poaceae with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of Calamagrostis generally occur at higher elevations in...
  
  
• Chionochloa
  Chionochloa
  Chionochloa is a genus of tussock grass in the Poaceae family, containing mainly species of grass endemic to New Zealand such as snow tussock , red tussock and hunangamoho...
  
  - (endemic to New Zealand)
• Deschampsia
  Deschampsia
  Deschampsia is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. There are 30 to 40 species....
  
  
• Festuca
• Heteropogon
  Heteropogon
  Heteropogon is a small genus of annual and perennial grasses known generally as tangleheads. They are erect tussock grasses found in tropical regions worldwide, and some species grow in warmer temperate areas as well. The inflorescences hold paired spikelets...
  
  - (tropical climates)
• Leymus
  Leymus
  Leymus is a genus of the true grass family . The common name for this genus is "wild rye"; however, members of the genus Elymus are also sometimes given the same common name...
  
  
• Melica
  Melica
  Melica is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world. They are clumping grasses with long, erect stems bearing spikelets of papery grass flowers...
  
  
• Muhlenbergia
  Muhlenbergia
  Muhlenbergia is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family. It is named in honour of the American amateur botanist Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg. There are around 155 species. Many are known by the common name muhly....
  
  
• Nassella
  Nassella
  Nassella is a New World genus of about 115 perennial bunchgrasses found from North America through South America. The Latin name nassa means "a basket with a narrow neck." It is now a segregate from the genus Stipa and includes many New World species formerly classified in that genus.Nasella is...
  
  
• Stipa
  Stipa
  This article is about a type of grass.For Speech Transmission Index for Public Address Systems, see Speech transmission index.For the Italian aircraft designer, see Luigi Stipa...
  
  

Australia

• Button grass — (Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus)
  Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus
  Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, commonly known as button grass, is a species of tussock-forming grass from southeastern Australia. It forms part of a unique habitat in Tasmania....
  
  
• Red Anther Wallaby Grass — (Joycea pallida)

New Zealand

• 'Red Tussock — (Chionochloa rubra)
  Chionochloa rubra
  Chionochloa rubra, commonly known as red tussock, is a tussock that is endemic to New Zealand.-References:*Zotov, V.D. Synopsis of the grass subfamily Arundinoideae in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 1963, 1: 78-136....
  
  
  • other N.Z. 'Tussock Grass':
• Chionochloa australis
• C. flavescens
• Festuca novaezelandiae
• Poa caespitosa
• P. colensoi
• P. foliosa
  Poa foliosa
  Poa foliosa is a species of tussock grass commonly known as Muttonbird Poa. It is native to the subantarctic islands of New Zealand and Australia.-Description:...
  
  

North America

Bunch Grasses:

• Purple three-awn — (Aristida purpurea)
  Aristida purpurea
  Aristida purpurea is a species of grass native to North America which is known by the common name purple three-awn. This grass is fairly widespread and can be found across the western two thirds of the United States, much of southern Canada and parts of northern Mexico...
  
  
• Blue grama — (Bouteloua gracilis)
• Leafy reedgrass — (Calamagrostis foliosa)
  Calamagrostis foliosa
  Calamagrostis foliosa is a species of grass known by the common name leafy reedgrass.It is endemic to northern California, where it grows in the forests and scrub on the coastline. This perennial grass produces a tuft of stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall. The leaves are mostly located about the base...
  
   - (endemic to California
  California
  California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
  
  )
• Pacific reedgrass — (Calamagrostis nutkaensis)
  Calamagrostis nutkaensis
  Calamagrostis nutkaensis is a species of grass known by the common names Pacific reedgrass and Nootka reedgrass.It is native to western North America from Alaska to central California, where it is mainly a coastal species growing in moist areas such as beaches and wetlands. This is a perennial...
  
  
• Purple Reedgrass — (Calamagrostis purpurascens)
  Purple Reedgrass
  Calamagrostis purpurascens, variously known by the common names Purple Reedgrass, Purple Pinegrass, or Alpine Reedgrass is a perennial grass, growing 30 to 70 cm tall.-Distribution:...
  
  
• Hare's-tail Cottongrass — (Eriophorum vaginatum)
  Eriophorum vaginatum
  Eriophorum vaginatum L. is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the family Cyperaceae, native to bogs and other acidic wetlands throughout the Holarctic Kingdom. It is a 30-60 cm high tussock-forming plant with erect solitary spikelets.-External links:* in Flora of North America*...
  
  
• California fescue — (Festuca californica)
  Festuca californica
  Festuca californica is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue. It is native to the United Mexican States where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral. This fescue is a clumping bunch grass perennial without rhizomes.It reaches anywhere from 40 to 120...
  
  
• Idaho fescue — (Festuca idahoensis)
  Festuca idahoensis
  Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common...
  
  
• Red fescue — (Festuca rubra)
  Festuca rubra
  Festuca rubra is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates; it generally needs full sun to thrive...
  
  
• Junegrass — (Koeleria macrantha)
  Koeleria macrantha
  Koeleria macrantha is a species of grass known by the common name prairie Junegrass. In the UK it is known as Crested hair-grass. It is native to much of North America, from Alaska to California, from northern Mexico to the Eastern United States...
  
  
• Giant wildrye — (Leymus condensatus)
  Leymus condensatus
  Leymus condensatus, with common name is Giant wildrye and syn. Elymus condensatus, is a wild rye grass native to California and northern Mexico.-Description:...
  
  
• California melic — (Melica californica)
  Melica californica
  Melica californica is a species of grass known by the common name California melic.-Distribution:This grass is native to Oregon and California, where it grows in many types of habitat, from mountain forests to open grassland at sea level...
  
  
• Deer grass — (Muhlenbergia rigens)
  Muhlenbergia rigens
  Muhlenbergia rigens, commonly known as Deergrass, is a warm season perennial bunchgrass found in sandy or well drained soils below in elevation in the Southwestern United States and parts of Mexico.-Description:...
  
  
• Purple needlegrass — (Nassella pulchra)
  Nassella pulchra
  Nassella pulchra is a species of grass known by the common name purple needlegrass. It is native to California, where it occurs throughout the coastal hills, valleys, and mountain ranges, as well as the Sacramento Valley and parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and Baja California.It grows in many...
  
   - (The state grass of California)
• Pine bluegrass — (Poa secunda)
  Poa secunda
  Poa secunda is a widespread species of grass native to North America. It is highly resistant to drought conditions, and provides excellent fodder.-External links:**...
  
  
• Salt Couch Grass — (Sporobolus virginicus)
  Sporobolus virginicus
  Sporobolus virginicus, known by numerous common names including Marine Couch, Sand Couch, Coastal Rat-tail Grass, Salt Couch Grass, Saltwater Couch and Nioaka, is a coastal non-bunching tussock grass with a wide distribution.-Description:It is a perennial tussock grass from 10 to 50 centimetres in...
  
  

South America

• Tufted Hair-grass — (Deschampsia cespitosa) - (up through North America)
• Serrated tussock — (Nassella trichotoma)
  Nassella trichotoma
  Nassella trichotoma is a type of bunchgrass plant, native in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Peru.It is considered a weed of national significance in Australia, reducing the productivity of pasture and creating a fire hazard. In many states, landowners are required by law to keep their land free of...
  
   - (common pasture weed
  Weed
  A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
  
   in Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  )
• Tussac grass — (Poa flabellata)
  Poa flabellata
  Poa flabellata , called Tussac Grass, is a species of tussock grass native to southern South America and the Falkland Islands. It has been introduced into Scotland as a source of fodder because of its ability to grow in hostile conditions...
  
  
  • (synonyms: Parodiochloa flabellata, Festuca flabellata, Dactylis caespitosa)

Africa

• Perennial tussock grass — (Heteropogon contortus)
  Heteropogon contortus
  Heteropogon contortus is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia and Oceania. The species has also become a naturalised weed in tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas and East Asia. The plant grows to ...
  
   - (to Asia, Australasia, Oceania
  Oceania
  Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
  
  )

Europe

• Rope grass — (Ampelodesmos mauritanicus)
• Purple Moor Grass — (Molinia caerulea) - (to west Asia and north Africa)

See also

• Tussock
  Tussock
  Tussock most often refers to a small hillock of grassy, or grass-like plant growth, but may also refer to Plants and ecology, Insects.- Plants and ecology :*Tussock *New Zealand tussock grasslands*Serrated Tussock...
  
  
• Tussock grassland
  Tussock grassland
  Tussock grassland is a form of open grassland common in many temperate southern hemisphere regions, notably in New Zealand, but also in Australia, Argentina, some subantarctic islands, and parts of southern and eastern Africa....
  
  
• List of Poaceae genera
• Bunch Grasses of California

Non-Poaceae tussocks

• Tussock Sedge
  Carex stricta
  Carex stricta is a species of sedge known by the common name Tussock Sedge.-External links:*...
  
   (Carex stricta)
• Fibrous Tussock-sedge
  Carex appropinquata
  Carex appropinquata is a species of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges.- Synonyms :* Carex paniculata var. paradoxa Fiori* Carex paradoxa Willd....
  
   (Carex appropinquata)
• Rough Saw-sedge (tussock)
  Gahnia aspera
  Gahnia aspera known as the Rough Saw-sedge is a tussock forming perennial plant, often seen in moist situations. The long strap like leaves grow to 80 cm long....
  
  (Gahnia aspera)

External links

• California Native Grasslands Association: Bunchgrass species & habitats: preservation & restoration.