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Heteropogon triticeus
Also called Sugar Grass
Giant spear grass is a large perennial tussock grass from tropical Asia, Malesia and northern Australia, growing over 2 metres tall. It is a frequently burned savanna grass, so it is rarely grown as a garden or houseplant.
Heteropogon triticeus is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Tropical and Temperate Asia, Malesia and Northern and Eastern Australia. The plant grows to over 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height and is favoured in most environments by frequent burning. The plants develop characteristic dark seeds with a single long awn at one end and a sharp spike at the other. The awn becomes twisted when dry and straightens when moistened, and in combination with the spike is capable of drilling the seed into the soil.
The species is known as giant spear grass, and is closely related to the more common black spear grass, with which it is commonly associated in Northern Australia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Heteropogon triticeus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
