Glyceria declinata Bréb.

Loosely tufted, rather flaccid; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath submembranous, closed, keeled, striate, glabrous, often purplish, scattered cross-veinlets inconspicuous. Ligule 3.5–7 mm, hyaline, tapered to a point. Leaf-blade (4)–8–17 cm × 2.5–7 mm, folded at first, becoming flat, abaxially minutely papillose, striate, minutely scabrid on midrib and lateral ribs, adaxially glabrous, channelled on either side of midrib; margins scabrid, abruptly narrowed to stiff point. Culm (15)–25–45 cm, erect or ascending from curved, bent, or prostrate base, internodes glabrous. Panicle 20–30–(40) cm, narrow, with few spikelets, spiciform, ± secund, with 1–3 branches at lower panicle-nodes; rachis smooth, branches with a few minute prickle-teeth below spikelets. Spikelets 15–25–(30) mm, 8–14-flowered, narrowly oblong, greyish green or purplish. Glumes noticeably unequal, 1-nerved, hyaline, ovate-oblong, obtuse; lower 1.5–2.5 mm, upper 2.5–3.5 mm. Lemma 4–5.5 mm, 7-nerved, ovate- or elliptic-oblong, 3-lobed or 3–5-toothed, minutely papillose to short-scabrid, green and firm, nerves purple tipped extending into wide hyaline upper margin. Palea oblong-lanceolate or elliptic, deeply bifid into often purplish, aristate teeth, usually projecting slightly beyond lemma apex, keels narrowly winged, very minutely scabrid. Rachilla c. 1.5 mm, glabrous. Anthers (0.9)–1–1.4 mm. Caryopsis (1.7)–2–2.5 × 0.8–1 mm. Fig. 8.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing).]