Immature seed head. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Packsaddle, north of Broken Hill, NSW

Seed heads. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Packsaddle, north of Broken Hill, NSW

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Packsaddle, north of Broken Hill, NSW

Common Name

Purple Plume Grass, Purple Needle Grass, Needle Grass, Purple Heads

Family

Poaceae

Notes

Annual or perennial grass to 1.2m tall, usually purplish towards the base.  Leaves mainly at the base of the plant, with a hairless sheath at the base.  Ligule a fringe of hairs.  Leaves 5-50cm long, 1-4mm wide, linear, flat, rolled, or rolled inwards, hairless, pointed.  Flower heads purple, straw-coloured when mature.  Spikelets 4-13mm long.  Mature seed groups cylindrical.  Seeds hairy, with three awns.  Rare Vic.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales pages 151-152

PlantNET description with line drawings and photo:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Triraphis~mollis

ausgrass2 description with line drawings and photos:   http://ausgrass2.myspecies.info/content/triraphis-mollis