Enneapogon avenaceus

Enneapogon avenaceus, commonly known as common bottlewashers or jointed nineawn, is a tufted perennial grass native to arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. It typically grows 15-50 cm tall, forming small clumps with slender, often hairy culms arising from a tough, fibrous base. The leaves are narrow, rolled or flat, greyish-green, and frequently softly pubescent. Its inflorescence is a dense, cylindrical, spike-like panicle 2-8 cm long, grey to pale brown, composed of crowded spikelets each bearing several plumose awns that give the head a distinctive bottlebrush appearance. Each lemma carries nine feathery awns, a diagnostic feature for the genus. Flowering occurs mainly after summer rains. The species favours sandy or loamy soils on open plains, stony ridges, and disturbed roadsides, and is valued by graziers as drought-tolerant pasturage despite its low biomass.