Rytidosperma tenuius (Steud.) A.Hansen & Sunding
Grey-green or greyish purple, coarse erect tussocks, occasionally shortly rhizomatous; leaves » culms; branching intra- and extravaginal. Leaf-sheath white or sometimes greyish, sometimes with few scattered fine hairs above; apical tuft of hairs 1-2-(3) mm. Ligule 0.1-0.4-(0.6) mm. Leaf-blade to 35 cm, flattish, becoming inrolled, to 3 mm wide, sometimes with scattered hairs, margins sparsely scabrid. Culm stout, to 1 m, internodes smooth, minutely scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle large, strict, to 15 cm, of many spikelets on ± rigid pedicels; rachis and pedicels closely short-scabrid, often longer hairs intermixed. Spikelets 5-6-(7)-flowered, awns included by or exserted from glumes. Glumes usually broad, purple-margined, lanceolate, subacute, (12)-15-17-(19) mm, ± equal, both 7-nerved. Lemma 2.5-3 mm, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs very dense, upper row < lemma lobes and much overlapped by lower, glabrous elsewhere, occasional hairs centrally and on margins; lobes (6.3)-7-9 mm, narrowed to fine awn; central awn (8.5)-10-14 mm, column 1-2.5 mm < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.5-4.5 mm, < upper lemma hairs, interkeel hairs long, numerous, in lower ⅔, and on margins. Callus (0.8)-1-1.3 mm, marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla c. 0.2 mm. Anthers 0.8-1.2 and 1.7-2.1 mm. Caryopsis 1.6-2 × 0.8 mm; embryo 0.7 mm; hilum 0.5 mm.
N.: North Cape to Auckland City and Thames. Grassland and modified sites in lowland zone.
Naturalised from Australia.
Although not recorded for N.Z. until 1963, as Notodanthonia purpurascens, specimens of R. tenuius were collected as early as 1901 (WELT 39688, OTA 16911).
