Poa novae-zelandiae Hack.

Stout perennial, bright green tufts, variable in size, to 30 cm, with leaves usually erect and much narrowed above; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green, sometimes purpled, membranous, ribbed, glabrous, or with a few prickle-teeth on margin near ligule. Ligule 1–2–(6) mm, apically glabrous, entire, smooth, somewhat narrowed above to a point, abaxially pubescent-scabrid. Leaf-blade 5–15 cm × 1–3–(5) mm, folded, often with inrolled margins, coriaceous, mainly smooth, but adaxially sparsely scabrid near ligule, rarely finely scabrid throughout; margins with a few scattered prickle-teeth and midrib occasionally scabrid near the curved, often shortly apiculate tip. Culm 5–15–(30) cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle (3)–5–10 cm, dense with erect branches or more spreading and often drooping above; rachis glabrous, branches numerous, slender, glabrous, tipped by large, elliptic, acute spikelets. Spikelets 6–12 mm, 5–8-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, glabrous, smooth, rarely scabrid on midnerve, acuminate; lower 3–6 mm, 1–(3)-nerved, narrow-lanceolate, upper 3.5–7 mm, 3-nerved, narrow elliptic-lanceolate. Lemma 3.5–8 mm, 3–(5)-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute to usually acuminate, glabrous except for long hairs near base of nerves, rarely scabrid on midnerve above hairs; margins narrow-membranous, entire. Palea 2.5–5 mm, keels sparsely short-scabrid to almost smooth, interkeel and flanks glabrous. Callus with thick tuft of long hairs just below midnerve of lemma and some hairs below lateral nerves. Rachilla 0.5–1 mm, glabrous. Lodicules c. 0.7 mm. Gynomonoecious: each spikelet with 1–2–(3) lower flowers ☿, anthers 0.8–1.2–(1.4) mm, gynoecium c. 2 mm; upper flowers ♀ with small to minute colourless pollen-sterile anthers 0.1–0.3–(0.6) mm, gynoecium c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.5–2.5 ×c. 0.5 mm. 2n= 28. Plate 7C.

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