Thanks Ciaran - could you please get back to this? I have added two more photos - the first with a wire grass on the right. For me, neither the awns nor the seeds are those of purple wire grass. I am quite sure now that it is a grass as it is fully round and has "knees" closer to the ground - but I have no clue still what grass it is.
I think what may have happened is that the water has become trapped in the reproductive structures and they have swollen. I have seen this before in Rytidosperma. To me this still looks like Aristida
I think you are right. What I have since observed is that the plant(s) are likely affected by a fungal infection. The "seed" appears large - but the content is "dusty" black - no starch left. It may well be that the infection occurred much before the seed spike grew large - and that may have prevented the formation of the awns and other characteristics. Something for the plant pathologists...
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