Aristida adscensionis

Common needle grass

Annual grass up to 75 cm high with narrow leaves and sharp seeds that make it almost unpalatable from the full flowering stage until the sharp seeds are shed after ripening. Sheep should not be allowed to graze mature needle grass as the sharp seeds may penetrate their skin and remain deposited on the inner side, causing considerable pain. In the early stages of growth it can be well grazed by cattle or cut for hay.