Flora of New Zealand Series

Annuals to biennials, 60-120 cm, loosely tufted or consisting of a solitary culm. Leaf-sheath ± densely villous with soft spreading hairs; upper sheaths short-pubescent to glabrous. Ligule 0.7-2 mm, shortly denticulate to later lacerate, abaxially with some long hairs. Leaf-blade 8-16 cm × 2-6 mm, pubescent; margins scabrid near acute tip. Culm 40-100 cm, erect; nodes minutely hairy; internodes glabrous or rarely pubescent below panicle. Panicle 8-24 cm, erect, lax; branches and pedicels scabrid, mostly > spikelets. Spikelets 2-3 cm, 7-10-flowered, lanceolate, light green or purple-suffused. Glumes unequal, subacute to obtuse, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, smooth, but midnerve and hyaline margins usually minutely scabrid; lower 6-7 mm, 3-5-nerved, oblong-lanceolate, upper 7.5-8 mm, 5-9-nerved, elliptic. Lemma 8.5-9.5 mm, 7-9-(11)-nerved, rounded, subcoriaceous, nerves ± obscure, obovate, very minutely scabrid especially in upper ½; margins flat, overlapping; apex obtuse to truncate, to very slightly emarginate; awn from just below apex, straight, 6-9 mm. Palea very slightly < lemma, keels sparsely long-ciliate and with minute hairs as well, flanks very finely scabrid. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 1.5 mm, finely scabrid. Anthers (1.2)-1.5-2 mm. Caryopsis c. 4.5 × 1 mm.

N.: Auckland City (Remuera, early collection); S.: Canterbury (inland North and Mid Canterbury). On grassy roadsides and in sown pasture.

Naturalised.

Indigenous to Europe, North Africa and western Asia.