Flora of New Zealand Series

Tufted or spreading from slender rhizomes. Branching extravaginal. Prophyll keeled, hairy. Leaf-sheath (1)-3-7-(10) cm, tubular, red-brown, hairs often retrorse, rarely glabrous, striate, becoming fibrous; apical auricles 0 to 0.25 mm, finely ciliate. Collar sometimes thickened. Ligule 0.25 mm, finely ciliate. Leaf-blade (2)-10-(25) cm × 0.3-0.7 mm, elliptic to rounded or regularly hexagonal, abaxially smooth rarely antrorsely scabrid or hairy below, adaxially finely hairy, margins finely hairy; TS: usually 5 vascular bundles, 7 sclerenchyma strands, occasionally fewer or continuous. Culm 10-20-(45) cm, internodes erect or ascending-erect, usually > leaf-blades, nodes usually glabrous but sometimes evidently hairy or prickle-toothed, often glaucous, sometimes violet-suffused and striate. Panicle (1)-5-10-(20) cm, of 6-10-13 nodes, of (3)-8-15-(30) spikelets, narrow and erect with short branches to open ascending with long branches naked below, often secund above; basal branch solitary or binate with 2-10 spikelets, uppermost 5-10 solitary on short pedicels; rachis toothed on angles sometimes hairy rather than toothed and occasionally ± pilose, usually tortuous below, branches toothed or hairy on angles more so on basal branch at internodes; pedicels toothed on angles. Spikelets (5)-8-10-(13) mm, of 3-6 florets, often glaucous and/or purple-suffused. Glumes unequal, nerves often raised, keeled, smooth except for prickle-teeth on keel and infrequently elsewhere; margins membranous and ciliate; lower 2.5-3.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 3-5.5 mm, 3-nerved, sometimes shortly awned. Lemma 3.5-4.5-5 mm, 5-nerved, often glaucous, and violet-suffused, rounded, prickle-toothed above, margins ciliate below; awn 0.5-1.5-(2.5) mm. Palea 3.5-4.5-5 mm, apex pointed, shortly bifid, keels toothed to ½ or more, short interkeel hairs above. Callus 0.2-0.3 mm, bearded laterally; articulation ± oblique. Rachilla 0.8-1.25 mm, short stiff hairy, sometimes evident at anthesis. Lodicules 0.6-1.25 mm, usually lobed, often hair-tipped. Anthers (1.0)-1.5-2-3 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5-0.7 mm, sometimes hispid hairy at apex; stigma-styles c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 2.5-3.5 mm, free; embryo 0.5 mm; hilum in sulcus, = caryopsis.

N.; S.; St.; Ch., A., Ant., C. Grasslands, scrublands, wasteplaces; sea level to 1850 m.

Naturalised from Europe.

A very variable species to which European interpretations, in the absence of modern authenticated specimens in N.Z. herbaria, do not easily apply. Nor are there cytological data to assist in discriminating among subspecific taxa.