Bromus arenarius Labill.
sand brome
Annuals, 20-80 cm, loosely tufted or consisting of a solitary culm, basal leaves withering early. Leaf-sheath densely villous. Ligule 1-2.6 mm, lacerate. Leaf-blade 7-30 cm × 1.7-5 mm, densely villous, hairs shorter near acute tip. Culm 15-60 cm, erect or geniculate-ascending, internodes ± pubescent below panicle. Panicle 7-26 cm, lax, nodding; branches filiform, curving, short-hairy. Spikelets 3-4 cm, 5-8-flowered, loosely hairy, oblong-lanceolate to wedge-shaped. Glumes unequal, acute to acuminate, chartaceous, with long fine hairs; lower 7.2-9.5 mm, 3-nerved, narrow oblong-lanceolate, upper 9.5-13 mm, 5-7-nerved, narrow elliptic-lanceolate. Lemma 11-14 mm, 7-9-nerved, rounded, chartaceous, oblong- to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, with long fine hairs; apex hyaline, sometimes entire or with 2 acute lobes c. 0.5 mm; awn 14-20 mm, arising c. 2 mm below apex of lemma or at base of sinus. Palea c. ¾ length of lemma, keels sparsely long-ciliate, interkeel glabrous. Callus with minute hairs. Rachilla 1.2 mm, shortly pubescent. Anthers 0.8-1.5 mm. Caryopsis 7.5-8 × 1.3-1.6 mm.
N.: North Auckland, Auckland City, and offshore islands, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Wellington Harbour; Three Kings Is, Ch. Rocky places near coast.
Naturalised from Australia.
Two early specimens from Canterbury were probably collected by J. F. and J. B. Armstrong in 1870s, Pegasus Bay [Canterbury] (WELT 76365), and near Christchurch, "rare" (WELT 70982).
