Aristida contorta

Small, densely tufted annual or short-lived perennial, culms erect, to 30 cm high. Leaves mostly crowded on lower part of culm, glabrous to scabrid-hairy; blade finely inrolled, often sinuous, to 8 cm long and 0.5 mm diam.; ligule densely ciliate, c. 0.5 mm long with a tuft of longer hairs at the sides. Inflorescence a sparse, slender panicle to 8 cm long (excluding awns); glumes unequal, often purplish, narrow-acuminate, the lower 8–14 mm long, the upper 15–28 mm long; lemma convolute, narrow-cylindric, 5–7 mm long, glabrous except for short, white callus hairs, surface pale, smooth to minutely granular; column of awn 10–25 mm long, articulate on lemma, awn branches purplish, subequal, 3–6 cm long. Flowers mainly Aug.–Dec.