Poa labillardierei Steud.

Coarse, dense, green or blue-green often very scabrid tussocks, to c. 120 cm, with a large bulk of dead dry leaves densely packed at the narrow base; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light greenish brown, later grey-brown, rarely slightly purplish, subcoriaceous, ± distinctly ribbed, ± minutely scabrid. Ligule 0.2–0.6 mm, truncate, minutely ciliate, abaxially scabrid. Leaf-blade 35–65 cm × 1.8–3 mm, coriaceous, flat, to folded and ± inrolled, abaxially usually scabrid, occasionally almost smooth, adaxially finely ribbed, finely scabrid on ribs; margins obviously scabrid, tip ± acicular, straight-sided. Culm 60–110 cm, erect or drooping, internodes scabrid below panicle. Panicle 10–25 cm, open; branches fine, not drooping, slightly spreading, finely scabrid, in clusters of 3–7, naked and undivided below, with numerous spikelets clustered at tips. Spikelets 3–7 mm, 3–5-flowered, light green, often purplish. Glumes usually ± equal, 1.5–3.5 mm, 3-nerved, often scabrid near tip and on midnerve and margins, narrow- to ovate-lanceolate, acute. Lemma c. 2–4 mm, 5-nerved, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, ± short scabrid but usually softly hairy on midnerve and lateral nerves near base. Palea 2–3.5 mm, keels scabrid in upper ⅔ and smooth below, interkeel scabrid. Callus with long tuft of soft tangled hairs. Rachilla slightly > 0.5 mm, minutely scabrid with some longer hairs; prolongation sometimes twice as long. Lodicules 0.5–0.6 mm. Anthers 1–2 mm. Caryopsis 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 mm.

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