Catapodium rigidum Fern-grass

Fern-grass, is a small, stiff, winter annual which is widspread in southern Britain, mostly in England but more local in Wales. It differs from Sea Fern-grass (Catapodium marinum) in its inflorescence which is more open throughout and branched towards the base. It is a plant of dry, bare places including pavements, shingle, dunes and gravelled roads. It has a largely lowland and coastal distribution in West Glamorgan but it is also frequently encountered along gravelled forest roads in the uplands of Neath Port Talbot. Plants that occur near the coast may be referrable to Catapodium rigidum subsp. majus. A sterile hybrid between Fern-grass and Sea Fern-grass has been reported in Britain but has not been recorded in West Glamorgan.

Native