Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin.
wavy hair grass
Tufts 30-75 cm, with numerous, short, very narrow, tightly rolled leaves much overtopped by culms; occasionally shortly rhizomatous. Leaf-sheath submembranous, rounded, finely scabrid, striate. Ligule (0.2)-0.5-1-(3) mm, truncate, or broadly and shallowly bilobed, abaxially scabrid, tip ciliate-scabrid. Leaf-blade 4.5-15 cm × 0.3-0.6 mm diam., strongly involute, smooth, scabrid near acute tip. Culm erect, or geniculate at base, internodes glabrous. Panicle 6-13.5 cm, ± erect, lax; branches few, very slender, flexuous, scarcely scabrid, naked for some distance towards base, tipped by few spikelets. Spikelets 4.5-6 mm, silvery greenish brown or light brown, purplish near base. Glumes subequal, hyaline, elliptic, sometimes sparsely scabrid above, margins very finely scabrid; lower 4-5 mm, 1-nerved, upper ≈ spikelet, 3-nerved but lateral nerves short. Lemma 4-5 mm, elliptic-oblong, tip ± truncate, irregularly minutely denticulate, minutely scabrid in upper ⅔; awn (3.5)-5-6.5-(7) mm, fine, geniculate, column dark brown, twisted, inserted near base of lemma. Palea narrower than lemma, apex slightly notched, keels minutely scabrid, interkeel minutely scabrid above. Callus hairs 0.7-1.2 mm. Rachilla hairs to 1 mm, fine, silky. Anthers 2-3.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.7-2.5 × 0.5-0.9 mm.
N.: Auckland City; S.: Nelson (Canaan, Denniston), Canterbury (Arthurs Pass, Craigieburn Range), Otago (Naseby, Dunedin, Tapanui); St.: Ulva Id. Forest margins, damp ground and waste land.
Naturalised.
Indigenous to Europe, northern Asia, North and South America.
