Rytidosperma tenuius

{{short description|Species of grass}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Rytidosperma tenuiusOrange flowerhead1 (9483895922).jpg

|genus = Rytidosperma

|species = tenuius

|authority = (Steud.) Connor & Edgar

|synonyms = {{species list

|Austrodanthonia tenuior |(Steud.) H.P.Linder

|Danthonia tenuior |(Steud.) Conert

|Danthonia purpurascens |Vickery

}}

}}

Rytidosperma tenuius, or purplish wallaby grass, is an Australian species of wallaby grass found in south eastern Australia, usually on clay or sandy soils in the drier eucalyptus woodlands.{{cite web |title=Rytidosperma tenuius|work=PlantNET - NSW Flora Online|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Rytidosperma~tenuius|accessdate= November 13, 2018}} The grass is perennial, and it may grow up to 1.2 m tall.{{Cite web |title=Rytidosperma tenuius |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2893169#ausTraits |access-date=27 May 2023 |website=Atlas of Living Australia}} It is native to the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and it has been introduced to New Zealand.{{Cite book |last1=Jessop |first1=John |title=Grasses of South Australia |last2=Dashorst |first2=Gilbert R.M. |last3=James |first3=Fiona M. |publisher=Wakefield Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-74305-583-0 |pages=297}}{{Cite web |title=Short-awn Wallaby-Grass |url=https://grasslands.ecolinc.vic.edu.au/fieldguide/flora/short-awn-wallaby-grass#interesting-fact |access-date=27 May 2023 |website=Grasslands: Biodiversity of south-eastern Australia}} The inflorescences have a characteristic reddish colouration, and the attractive purplish bracts of young flowers can also aid in identification.{{Cite web |title=Rytidosperma tenuius |url=https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/PlantDirectory/Grasses-Rushes-Sedges/Rytidosperma-tenuius |access-date=27 May 2023 |website=Yarra Ranges Council - Local Plant Directory}} The specific epithet tenuius is derived from the Latin for thin.Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, {{ISBN|9780731812110}} page 268