Dactylis glomerata L.

Dense, coarse, often greyish green tufts, 25–120 cm; branching intra-vaginal, shoots compressed. Leaf-sheath green to pale brown, subcoriaceous, keeled, ribs finely prickle-toothed or minutely hairy. Ligule 3–10.5 mm, acute, erose or sometimes ciliate, abaxially smooth, or with minute hairs or prickle-teeth. Leaf-blade (7)–15–55 cm × 1.5–9 mm, flat, midrib strong, lateral ribs fine, ribs, margins and acicular tip scabrid. Culm 15–95 cm, erect or spreading, internodes glabrous. Panicle (5)–7–20–(45) cm, secund, with spikelets in dense spike-like clusters at tips of few, strong, scabrid branches; lower branches often distant, naked below. Spikelets 6–8 mm, 3–7-flowered, stiff, almost sessile, oblong or cuneate, light green or purplish; often proliferous. Glumes per-sistent, unequal, membranous, ovate-lanceolate, strongly keeled; lower 3–5 mm, acute, upper 4–6 mm, acuminate, keel scabrid to long-ciliate. Lemma 4.5–6.5–(7) mm, 5-nerved, ovate-lanceolate, sparsely pubescent, scabrid, papillose or glabrous, keel scabrid to long-ciliate, margins hyaline, scabrid; awn terminal 0.2–1.2 mm. Palea ≤ lemma, keels short-ciliate, interkeel finely scabrid. Anthers 2–3.5 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm.

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