Flora of New Zealand Series

Tufted perennials 30-65 cm, spreading by wiry, scale-covered rhizomes. Leaf-sheath rounded, glabrous or with long fine hairs, shortly pubescent at junction with leaf-blade. Ligule 1.4-1.6 mm, truncate, minutely ciliate. Leaf-blade 10-15 cm, c. 3.5 mm wide if flat, or inrolled and 1-1.5 mm diam., rather stiff, finely pointed, abaxially finely scabrid, adaxially with a few scattered hairs; margins finely scabrid. Culm erect, stiff, minutely hairy at, and near nodes, internodes otherwise glabrous. Raceme (3)-6-12 cm, spike-like, with spikelets partly overlapping and often projecting outwards; pedicels minutely pubescent, c. 1 mm. Spikelets 2-3 cm, 7-16-flowered. Glumes linear-lanceolate, acute, firm, glabrous; lower 4-4.6 mm, 3-5-nerved, upper c. 6 mm, 5-7-nerved. Lemma 8-8.5 mm, 5-7-nerved, oblong-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, abaxially smooth, or scabrid on nerves near apex, adaxially scabrid or with minute hairs just below awn base; awn 3.5-4.5 mm. Palea ≈ lemma, oblong, slightly emarginate to obtuse, keels and apex ciliate. Anthers 3.5-5 mm. Caryopsis not seen.

N.: South Auckland (Aotea and Waimaori in Raglan County); S.: Otago (Dunedin, Tinwald Creek on Mt Pisa). Roadsides and waste ground.

Naturalised.

Indigenous to Europe, south-western Asia and north-western Africa.