Aussie woman’s 'hairy panic' after coming home to disastrous find

A new homeowner found herself in a "hairy panic" after discovering her house had been covered in airy mounds of strange, hair-like grass.

Edie was shocked at what she saw blanketing her home in northern Victoria, realising she needed to purchase some better equipment to deal with the huge amount of fast-spreading grass. "Are you serious right now?" she said. "I think I need to invest in a blower."

What Edie was staring at is called panicum effusum, and is a type of grass known as "hairy panic", tumbleweed, branched panic or kero grass (short for kerosene). It is known to form tumbleweeds in dry conditions and is more than just annoying — it is a bushfire risk.

Aussies 'understand' the pain of dealing with hairy panic

Edie ended up purchasing a garden blower and documenting the process of collecting the weed from around her property — a position many Aussies have said they've been in too.

"This happened when I was living in Wagga a few years back. There was a plague of them," one person said. "I've been there and understand your pain," another said sympathetically.

Others offered advice on how to get rid of the grass faster. "Wet them, so much easier to scrunch and pick up," one said with others agreeing.

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Funny-named plant with serious risks

This common pest is one of the main species of perennial grass found across Australia referred to as "hairy panic", particularly along the east coast, according to the Atlas of Living Australia.

Dr Anthony Young, a senior lecturer in crop protection, previously told Yahoo News Australia the weed earned the nickname "kero grass" because "it is super dry and can stack up beside buildings such as sheds, and a spark will make it go up like kerosene".

Despite the fire risk, due to the species of grass being natives and pretty widespread, Dr Shane Campbell, a senior lecturer in pasture science and agronomy told Yahoo there are "no broad scale control options" to help residents in towns battling an influx of the tumbleweed in the summer months.

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