Flora of New Zealand Series

large burr grass

; Holotype: MA n.v., L. Née Society Islands.

Lax clumps from a very short woody rhizome, with trailing culms rooting at lower nodes; branching extravaginal, and intravaginal above. Leaf-sheath longer than internodes, firm, papery, keeled, smooth, minutely scabrid on narrow membranous margin and on ribs below collar. Ligule 1-1.5 mm, a truncate densely ciliate rim. Leaf-blade 7-20 cm × 4-9 mm, linear-lanceolate, rounded-truncate at base, flat, firm, abaxially smooth, adaxially minutely scabrid on ribs; margins somewhat thickened, minutely scabrid, tapered to long, acuminate tip. Culm to 60 cm × c. 2-3.5 mm diam., terete to ± angled, internodes minutely pubescent-scabrid on ridges below panicle. Panicle (10)-15-25 × c. 1.5 cm, spike-like; rachis triangular, slightly winged, densely minutely pubescent-scabrid, bearing ovoid clusters of 1-3 spikelets, hidden among bristles and densely, spirally arranged along rachis; clusters 7-10 × 4-7 mm, including involucre of stiff bristles, at first appressed, but finally borne at right angles to rachis; bristles retrorsely barbed, very variable in length, 0.5-11 mm, outermost smaller, terete, inner more planoconvex with margins densely softly long-ciliate, one bristle in each cluster usually exceeding the others. Spikelets 5-6 mm, 2-flowered, < inner bristles, sessile, glabrous, light green, almost colourless. Glumes hyaline; lower 2-3-(4.5) mm, 1-nerved, upper 4-5 mm, 5-nerved. Lower floret: lemma 4.8-6 mm, 5-nerved, scabrid; palea keels ciliate, interkeel minutely hairy, margins scabrid; anthers 1.5-2 mm, brown with thick orange-yellow filaments. Upper floret: lemma 5-5.5 mm, 5-nerved, finely scabrid-papillose; palea very finely scabrid-papillose; anthers as in lower floret; caryopsis 2.2-2.7 mm, ± ellipsoid.

K. Open places near coast on grassy headlands.

Indigenous.

Also indigenous to Norfolk Id, New Caledonia, New Guinea and much of Polynesia.