''Enneapogon nigricans'', known by the common names blackheads, bottle washers, pappus grass, purpletop grass, and niggerheads,''Enneapogon nigricans''.
USDA PLANTS. is a perennial Australian

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

. Distinctive lance-shaped seedheads appear in late

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

and summer. They form at the top of wiry stalks over 30 cm long. They start as an olive green colour, but dry to a light brown. The seed itself is much like a

parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy (building), canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunburn, sunlight. The term ''umbr ...

in appearance, and is around 5mm across. Germination is slow and unreliable and requires warm temperatures. Leaves are smooth and of a bright, light green. Plants like sunny positions and generally grow in sunny, open mallee forests. Plants form tall dense tussocks to a maximum of only 20 cm across.Plants of the Adelaide Plains and Hills.
Library of South Australia. Accessed 21 March 2011. They die down in late summer, before reshooting when the rains return.

References

Chloridoideae Bunchgrasses of Australasia Poales of Australia Endemic flora of Australia Plants described in 1810 {{Chloridoideae-stub