Flora of New Zealand Series

Annual leafy tufts, sometimes rooting at nodes and forming large mats. Leaf-sheath submembranous, striate, light green or suffused purple, glabrous, or occasionally with very fine hairs mostly near margin. Ligule 1-2 mm, truncate, erose, glabrous. Leaf-blade 3.5-7.5 cm × 3-6 mm, soft, almost entirely glabrous except for occasional long hairs on margins near ligule, midrib obvious, lateral ribs numerous, very fine; margins minutely prickle-toothed, abruptly narrowed to acute minutely scabrid tip. Culm 15-25-(40) cm, internodes glabrous. Racemes (2)-3-4-(6), 3.5-6 cm, slender, closely digitate to ± approximate, spreading or curved at maturity; rachis flat, 0.7-1 mm wide, winged, margins closely prickle-toothed; pedicels subterete to angular, smooth to slightly scabrid. Spikelets 1.5-1.8 mm, in triplets, close-set, acute, elliptic, minute hairs acute-tipped. Lower glume 0, or rarely a minute scarious rim, upper 1-1.7 mm, slightly < spikelet, 3-5-nerved, acute, internerves with bands of dense hairs. Lower floret: lemma = spikelet, (3)-5-7-nerved, acute, nerves glabrous, outer nerves weak, outer internerves hairy. Upper floret: lemma ≈ spikelet, acute, dark chestnut-brown at maturity; palea ≈ lemma, dark brown; anthers 0.5-0.7 mm; stigmas deep purple; caryopsis 1-1.3 mm, oblong.

N.: North Auckland (Pukenui, Whangaroa, Kawakawa) Auckland City and environs, Tauranga. Grassy roadsides. FL: late Jan-Apr.

Naturalised.

Indigenous to tropical and subtropical America and Asia; naturalised in Australia.