Springtime is when many of Illawarra's native grasses come into their own.

They transform from clumps or tufts of leaves, or generic stretches of green and straw colours, with the appearance of their flower and seed heads. Some are more interesting and obvious than others, of course, but none is in my view more spectacular than the flowering of Wild Sorghum (Sorghum leiocladum).

This clumping grass has a tall inflorescence that is, in the world of local grasses at least, pretty spectacular. 

The above shot shows only the inflorescence of Wild Sorghum.

Unfortunately it's a grass that is difficult to photograph as a whole, unless it is in a large group, and I haven't been able to find that this spring.

Also unfortunately, it is very rare in the Illawarra region today, and has only been recorded at Purrungully Woodland in West Dapto, plus in one or two spots up on the Sydney sandstone on the plateau west of the escarpment.

It's an interesting question how common it may have been in the region in the past, as there are no historic records at all. For such a visually distinctive plant, that suggests it has never been common here. On the other hand, Sorghum is a good grazing plant for herbivores, and seems to prefer sandy soil types that are uncommon on the coastal plain, so it's possible that it may have been grazed out over the years.

Whatever its history, my best, not very good, effort to photograph it is below, showing Wild Sorghum in a garden situation.