Panic Veldt Grass is a very common perennial garden weed to 60 cm high. Large populations can develop rapidly, as plants can flower and set seed any time of the year, within ten weeks of germinating. The flower structure is 10–40 cm long, becoming open and spreading, when mature. The spikelets that contain the flowers provide a distinguishing characteristic for this species, being very small, 3–4 mm long.

Native to southern and eastern Africa this species is just as likely to be growing in your garden as well as extensively invading the natural environment. Particularly able to tolerate shade beneath dense over storey gives this species an opportunity to invade coastal woodlands.

Photos courtesy of Neil Tucker.