Aira elegans Kunth
Slender, erect, reddish green tufts 5-25-(30) cm, with very delicate loose panicles; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath submembranous, rather closely distinctly ribbed, ribs minutely scabrid almost to base. Ligule 1.5-4 mm, smooth, tapered, minutely denticulate, abaxially occasionally sparsely scabrid. Leaf-blade 1-6.5 cm × 0.2-0.3 mm diam., inrolled, abaxially minutely scabrid on ribs, adaxially with minute hairs; margins minutely scabrid, tip subacute to obtuse. Culm internodes glabrous. Panicle 2-10 × 2-8 cm, ovate, very lax; branches smooth to sparsely scabrid, capillary, spreading, pedicels » spikelets. Spikelets silvery green. Glumes 1.5-2.5 mm, 1-nerved, shining, ovate-lanceolate, acute, keel sparsely minutely scabrid, margins very finely ciliate-scabrid. Lemma 1.2-1.5 mm, firmly membranous, brownish, hyaline near apex, upper ½ minutely scabrid; lower lemma sometimes awnless, upper lemma, or both lemmas, with awn 1.8-2.5 mm, from lower ⅓ of lemma, projecting beyond glumes. Palea narrower than lemma, keels rounded, glabrous. Callus ringed by minute hairs. Rachilla minute, glabrous; prolongation vestigial. Anthers c. 0.3 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.3 mm.
N.: North Auckland (near Kaitaia, Kawau Id), Bay of Plenty (near Te Puke); S.: Marlborough (Vernon), Canterbury (near Christchurch). Lowland in open ground in scrub or depleted tussock grassland, and on swamp margins.
Naturalised from Mediterranean.
Kartesz, J. T. and Gandhi, K. N. Phytologia 74: 49 (1993) found that Kunth (1833) validated the name A. elegans. Previously Kartesz, J. T. and Gandhi, K. N. Phytologia 69: 301-302 (1990) considered that A. elegans Kunth was invalid and some authors, including Edgar, E., O'Brien, M.-A. and Connor, H. E. N.Z. J. Bot. 29: 101-116 (1991) in a checklist, used the later name A. elegantissima Schur (1853) for this taxon.
