The species is known by many common names, including black speargrass, tanglehead, steekgras (in Afrikaans) and pili (in Hawaiian, ultimately from Proto-Austronesian *pilit₁ "to adhere/stick").
This species has several common names: black speargrass, tanglehead, steekgras (Afrikaans), and pili (Hawaiian). The Hawaiian name is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *pilit₁ meaning "to stick."