Flora of New Zealand Series

African feather grass

Large, coarse, erect, perennial clumps with densely crowded leaves from stout, short, or sometimes far-creeping rhizomes; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath long, chartaceous, rounded, strongly ribbed, light creamy brown or sometimes pinkish, usually with scattered to dense, stiff, ± appressed hairs, sometimes glabrous. Ligule 1-2 mm, to 4.5 mm on upper leaves, a membranous densely long-ciliate rim. Leaf-blade (25)-40-60-(100) cm × 1-3 mm diam., inrolled or folded, or flat and up to 7 mm wide, linear, very long tapering, abaxially with some scattered hairs, scabrid above, adaxially deeply furrowed, ribs finely scabrid or smooth; margins scabrid above, tip long, fine, flexuous. Culm 75-120 cm, erect, terete, internodes very minutely scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle (16)-20-40 cm, spike-like, erect or ± nodding, straw-coloured, light brown to sometimes purple suffused; rachis densely finely scabrid. Spikelets 4.5-6 mm, densely crowded, almost sessile, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, solitary or rarely paired within an involucre of numerous, fine, minutely scabrid bristles, one bristle much stouter and longer 9-15-(20) mm, remaining bristles usually slightly > spikelet (6-10 mm). Glumes « spikelet, hyaline, glabrous, nerveless or 1-nerved; lower 0.5-0.8 mm or 0, upper 0.8-1.7 mm. Lower floret Ø: lemma 4-6 mm, 5-nerved, hyaline, very minutely scabrid; palea 0. Upper floret ⚥: lemma 4.5-5.5 mm, 5-nerved, submembranous, smooth below, often minutely scabrid towards acute apex; palea 4-5 mm, of similar texture to lemma, 2-nerved, faintly scabrid towards apex; lodicules 0.3-0.6 mm; anthers 2.5-4 mm; caryopsis c. 2 mm.

N.: scattered throughout; S.: near Westport and to the east from Marlborough to North and Central Otago. Roadsides, grassy areas, lowland and hill country pasture, creek edges, swampy soil, sandy soil.

Naturalised from tropical and southern Africa.

Pennisetum macrourum was used in ornamental plantings 30-50 years ago and has often escaped and spread vigorously.