Flora of New Zealand Series

Laxly tufted often straggling annuals, 18-85 cm, yellow-green, often purplish near base. Leaf-sheath compressed, keeled, submembranous to firm, striate, glabrous. Ligule ciliate, hairs to 1 mm. Leaf-blade (3)-8-15-(20) cm × 2-5 mm, flat, soft, abaxially glabrous, adaxially minutely prickle-toothed on ribs, with a few long (to 8 mm) hairs near base; margins and midrib minutely prickle-toothed above, tip long-tapered, acuminate. Culm 10-30-(75) cm, ± erect, nodes compressed, often dark brown, internodes ridged, glabrous, minutely prickle-toothed to pubescent on ridges just below panicle. Panicle 2-5-(8.5) cm × 6-18 mm, cylindric, dense-flowered; rachis hispidulous, with many, short, close-set, hispidulous branches bearing clusters of 2-3, almost sessile spikelets, each spikelet subtended by 6-11 tawny or reddish brown to purplish, antrorsely scabrid bristles (2-8 mm). Spikelets 2.2-2.4 mm, light green, falling entire at maturity. Lower glume 0.7-1.2 mm, ovate, acute or apiculate, 3-nerved, upper 1-2 mm, ovate-orbicular, obtuse, 3-(5)-nerved. Lower floret Ø: lemma 5-nerved, acute; palea ≈ lemma, hyaline. Upper floret ⚥: lemma = spikelet, very convex, crustaceous, finely rugulose, pale cream, sometimes apiculate; palea of same texture but ≤ lemma, keels rounded, glabrous; anthers (0.7)-0.9-1.2 mm; caryopsis c. 1.5 × 1.0 mm.

N.: northern half (scattered - Warkworth, Taipuha, Henderson, Tolaga Bay); K.: Raoul Id. Tracksides, road cuttings, waste land; also recorded as a weed in vineyards.

Naturalised.

A polymorphic pan-tropical species, widespread in Malesia; formerly treated as S. pallide-fusca (Schumach.) Stapf et C.E.Hubb. or as S. pumila subsp. pallide-fusca (Schumach.) B.K.Simon based on Panicum pallide-fuscum Schumach. (1827). Veldkamp, J. F. Blumea 39: 373-384 (1994) equated Panicum pallide-fuscum with Setaria parviflora, which was based on an earlier name Cenchrus parviflorus Poir. (1804).