Rytidosperma biannulare (Zotov) Connor & Edgar

Narrow-leaved green tussocks, leaves much < culms; branching intra-vaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous, often purplish above, glabrous; apical tuft of hairs to 1.7 mm, sparse or lacking. Ligule 0.3–0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 30–(40) cm, usually rolled, ± glabrous at maturity, young leaves with scattered long, fine, silky hairs, margins and tip scabrid. Culm to 85 cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle often rather dense, strict, 10–(20) cm, branches short, of many spikelets on slender pedicels, or panicle smaller and fewer spikelets; rachis and pedicels densely short-scabrid, occasionally slightly longer hairs at branch axils. Spikelets 6–7-flowered, awns usually exserted from glumes. Glumes purple-margined, lanceolate, subacute, 7.6–11–(13.2) mm, ± equal; lower 5–7-nerved, upper 5-nerved. Lemma 1.8–2.2–(2.8) mm, 7–9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs dense, continuous, upper row ≤ lemma lobes, lower row usually not reaching base of upper, sometimes not well-defined, elsewhere numerous short scattered hairs, glabrous at times just below upper row, margins hair-fringed; lobes (3.5)–4–5–(8.5) mm, narrowed to fine awn, adaxially often a few longer hairs at base; central awn (6)–7–9.5–(12.5) mm, column 2.5–3 mm = upper lemma hairs » palea. Palea (2.5)–2.7–3.3–(4.6) mm, « upper lemma hairs, interkeel hairs few, short at base, margins usually long-hairy. Callus 0.5–0.7 mm, marginal hair tufts reaching to base of lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.3–0.4 mm. Anthers 0.8–1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.2–1.9 × 0.6–0.8 mm; embryo 0.5–0.8 mm; hilum 0.3–0.6 mm. Plate 11C.

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