Rytidosperma geniculatum (J.M.Black) Connor & Edgar
Small, compact, stiff tussocks; leaves semi-pungent, usually < culms; branching intravaginal, occasionally ± swollen at base. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous, usually a few scattered long stiff hairs; apical tuft of hairs to 2 mm. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 12 cm, tightly inrolled, rather scattered long stiff hairs, margins scabrid. Culm to 25 cm, internodes smooth, or minutely scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle short and broad, to 2.5 cm, of few broad spikelets on short pedicels; rachis and pedicels with rather dense short hairs. Spikelets 3-flowered, awns included by glumes. Glumes purplish, ovate-lanceolate, broad at base, abruptly narrowed towards subobtuse tip, 6.5-9 mm, ± equal; lower 9-nerved, upper 7-9-nerved. Lemma 2-3 mm, 7-9-nerved, upper row of hairs continuous, very dense, usually = lemma lobes, lower row usually indistinct, elsewhere abundant short scattered hairs, adaxially a triangular band of scattered hairs below sinus; lobes 3-3.5 mm, tapering to very short awn, occasionally lobes with a shallow subsidiary lobe; central awn 3.5-5 mm, column 1-1.5 mm < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3-3.5 mm, « upper lemma hairs, interkeel hairs few short scattered below, margins with 1-2 long hairs. Callus 0.5-1.0 mm, marginal hair tufts long, abundant, much overlapping lower hairs. Rachilla 0.1-0.2 mm. Anthers 0.7-1 mm. Caryopsis 1.5-1.7 × 0.7-0.9 mm; embryo 0.6-0.9 mm; hilum to 0.5 mm.
S.: Marlborough (Wither Hills), Canterbury (Port Hills). On dry sites.
Naturalised from Australia.
In N.Z. specimens the lateral lemma lobes barely, if at all, exceed the upper lemma hairs, unlike typical Australian material.
