Astrebla is a small genus of xerophytic (adapted to survive in an environment with little liquid water) grasses found only in Australia.

[3] They are commonly known as Mitchell grass after Scottish explorer Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855), who first collected a specimen near Bourke in New South Wales.

Mitchell grasses grow on clay soils, mainly between an upper limit of 600 millimetres or 24 inches and a lower limit of 200 millimetres or 8 inches average annual rainfall, and at even lower rainfall in depressions where the water concentrates following rains, for example in Sturt's Stony Desert.

Mitchell grasses are deep-rooted and become dormant during drought, allowing them to survive extended periods without rainfall.

[4][5] They are commonly found clumped together and reaching one metre high, providing habitat for organisms such as mammals.