It occurs naturally in all states of Australia as well as in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines.

[6] P. Martin, writing in 2004, commented:[7] "Although the generic name Microlaena is strongly defended by Australasian agrostologists (e.g. Wheeler et al. 2002) many European authors treat it as a section of the genus Ehrharta, so that information on the species in question will be found in these sources under the name Ehrharta stipoides Labill.

[9] In Australia it is found in areas of medium to high rainfall (above 600 mm per annum) and the leaves normally remain green all year.

[8][9][12] Its drought-tolerance has led to an increasing interest in its use for turf to replace exotic species, and it is being researched as a perennial grain crop.

[6][7][13][14] The grains are high in protein and small-scale commercial production for human consumption has commenced.