Poa imbecilla Spreng.

Very fine-leaved, light green, shortly rhizomatous, small, lax, perennial tufts 10–50 cm, with conspicuous light-coloured leaf-sheaths, and slender, erect culms » drooping leaves, topped by extremely delicate, green panicles; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green, later creamy brown sometimes purplish, membranous, ribbed, glabrous. Ligule 0.2–0.4–(1) mm, apically glabrous, entire, ± rounded, abaxially slightly scabrid. Leaf-blade (2)–5–12–(16) cm × 0.5–1 mm, folded, usually filiform, soft, culm-leaves 1–3 mm wide, flat, minutely scabrid abaxially on midrib towards long, fine, acute, triangular tip, and adaxially just above ligule and on margins. Culm (4)–10–32–(50) cm, nodes swollen, internodes smooth, rarely scabrid below panicle. Panicle (3.5)–8–15–(25) cm, lax and delicate; rachis smooth to finely scabrid above, elongate branches and pedicels filiform, finely scabrid, spreading, with few spikelets. Spikelets 3–4 mm, 3–4–(5)-flowered, light green, often purplish. Glumes ± unequal, obtuse, midnerve often with a few prickle-teeth; lower 0.8–1.5 mm, 1-nerved, linear-lanceolate, upper 1.3–1.8 mm, 3-nerved, ovate-lanceolate; margins finely scabrid. Lemma (1.6)–1.8–2.2 mm, 5-nerved but inner lateral nerves often rather faint, glabrous, margin and nerves near obtuse tip minutely scabrid. Palea 1.2–2 mm, keels obviously ciliate, interkeel and often margins sparsely prickle-toothed. Callus glabrous, very rarely with a few fine hairs. Rachilla 0.5–1 mm, glabrous. Lodicules c. 0.2 mm. Anthers 0.2–0.4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.3 mm; stigma-styles 0.5–0.9 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.3 mm, tightly enclosed by lemma and palea. 2n= 28. Plate 7A.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 as Poa imbecilla Spreng.]