Aristida holathera

Aristida holathera, the erect kerosene grass, is a tufted annual or short-lived perennial grass of the family Poaceae growing 15-80 cm tall and endemic to mainland Australia, occurring across the inland arid and semi-arid zones of all mainland states on red sandy soils, dunes and stony rises. The plant forms loose erect bunches from a fibrous root system; the slender, simple or sparingly branched culms are smooth and bear narrow leaf sheaths and rolled or filiform leaf blades 5-20 cm long and only 0.5-1.5 mm wide, often grey-green and slightly rough to the touch. The inflorescence is a narrow contracted to slightly open terminal panicle 5-25 cm long, with appressed or slightly spreading branches bearing scattered pedicelled spikelets. Each spikelet is single-flowered and is most distinguished by its long three-branched (triple) awn: the lemma is narrowly cylindrical, hardened and terminates in a column that splits into three slender straight or slightly twisted awns 1.5-4 cm long. These awns turn pale straw-coloured to golden at maturity and en masse give the inflorescence a characteristic shimmering aspect. The needle-like fruits attach readily to clothing and animal hair, aiding dispersal across the rangelands it inhabits.