Seeds attached to stem. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Seeding stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Photo: Richard Hartland, Parwan near Bacchus Marsh, Vic

Common Name

Feather Speargrass; Elegant Speargrass

Family

Poaceae

Notes

Perennial grass to 2m tall.  Leaves with a hairless or rough sheath at the base.  Ligule a membrane without a fringe of hairs. Leaves 3-7.5cm long, 1-2mm wide, with the edges rolled inwards, surface hairless to rough.  Spikelets pink, grey or black, with long white hairs that often make the spikelets appear white, 7-12mm long, excluding the awn.  Mature seed groups spreading. Seeds with one long awn.

Description and photo of seeding plant (as Stipa elegantissima) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 144

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Austrostipa~elegantissima

ausgrass2 description, photos, and line drawings:  http://ausgrass2.myspecies.info/content/austrostipa-elegantissima