Pentapogon rarus (R.Br.) P.M. Peterson, Romasch. & Soreng

Stout or slender, moderately tall, extravaginal tufts, leaves < culms. Leaf-sheath light brown, sometimes purplish, usually glabrous below and scaberulous above, rarely with projecting hairs. Ligule (0.5)–1–1.5 mm, membranous, truncate, ciliate, abaxially scabrid to ciliate, often asymmetric. Leaf-blade to 10 cm × 1.5–2.5 mm, rather stiff, flat, minutely scabrid on ribs and margins, tapered towards tip. Culm 35–70 cm, internodes glabrous, often minutely scaberulous near nodes. Panicle (5.5)–10–16 cm, ± lax, with short, ± erect, few-flowered branches; rachis, branchlets and pedicels short-scabrid, partly hidden among spikelets. Spikelets pale, shining. Glumes ± equal, > lemma, elliptic-lanceolate, aristate; lower 4–5.5–(6) mm, upper 4.5–6 mm. Lemma 3.5–5 mm, surface minutely scabrid, tip opaque, scabrid, bifid; awn 10–20 mm, once-geniculate, brownish, inserted 0.3–0.5–(0.9) mm below lemma tip, column tightly twisted several times. Palea 3–4 mm, narrow-linear, keels scabrid near ciliate tip. Callus hairs 0.5–1 mm. Rachilla prolongation usually obvious, up to c. 1 mm. Lodicules 0.5–0.7 mm, elliptic-oblong, bifid at shortly ciliate tip. Anthers 1–3, 0.8–1.9 mm in chasmogamous flowers, 0.4–0.9 mm in cleistogamous flowers. Caryopsis (1.4)–1.8–2 × 0.3–0.4 mm; embryo 0.2–0.4 mm; hilum (1.2)–1.6–1.8 mm.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing). as Dichelachne rara (R.Br.) Vickery]