Glyceria plicata (Fr.) Fr.
Stout, with leafy shoots ascending from a prostrate rooting base. Leaf-sheath papery, light brown, closed, keeled, finely striate (ribs becoming undulate), with very fine prickle-teeth or hairs above and on ribs, cross-veinlets few, inconspicuous. Ligule 3-10 mm, membranous, tapered above, abaxially minutely, finely prickle-toothed. Leaf-blade (5)-15-25 cm × (2)-3.5-7 mm, folded to flat, finely ribbed with minute fine prickle-teeth on ribs, or adaxially smooth; margins finely tubercular-scabrid. Culm 30-40-(65) cm, finely ribbed, branched near base, several-noded, internodes spongy, glabrous. Panicle 18-40 cm, very lax, branches at lower nodes in clusters of 2-5 with one longer branch finally spreading, the rest much shorter with very few spikelets; rachis, branches and pedicels sparsely finely scabrid. Spikelets 12-22 mm, 8-12-flowered, linear-oblong, light green or purplish. Glumes unequal, membranous, 1-nerved, broadly elliptic-oblong, obtuse; lower 1.5-2-(2.5) mm, upper 2.5-3-(4.5) mm. Lemma 4-4.5-(5.5) mm, 7-nerved, broadly oblong-obovate, obtuse or slightly 3-lobed; nerves minutely scabrid, not extending into wide hyaline upper margin. Palea 3.5-4-(4.5) mm, ≤ lemma, elliptic, rather firm, shortly bidenticulate, keels minutely scabrid, narrowly winged. Rachilla 1-1.5 mm, glabrous. Anthers 1-1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.5-2.2 × 0.9-1.1 mm.
N.: scattered; S.: Canterbury, Otago, Southland; St.; Ch. In swampy creeks, streams or ponds, on the margin of roadside drains or water races; lowland to montane.
Naturalised.
Indigenous to Europe, south-western to central Asia and north-western Africa.
