Rytidosperma pulchrum (Zotov) Connor & Edgar

Small dense tufts, or often open, with tufts of leaves at ends of elongating shoots, rooting at nodes; leaves somewhat acute, « culms, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous to light brown, occasionally purplish, glabrous; apical tuft of few hairs, sometimes 0, up to c. 1.5 mm. Ligule to c. 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 10 cm, folded, narrow, rather soft, glabrous, rarely with a few hairs. Culm to 30 cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle small, to 5 cm, of few spikelets on very slender pedicels; rachis and pedicels closely short-scabrid, a few long hairs at branch axils and occasionally 1–2 below spikelets. Spikelets 3–(5)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes blackish centrally, ovate to occasionally ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, (5)–6–7.5–(8) mm, ± equal; lower 5-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma (1.8)–2–2.6 mm, 5–(7)-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs continuous or occasionally upper row hairs fewer, upper hairs slightly < lemma lobes, lower row overlapping upper, elsewhere glabrous, some few hairs along margins; lobes (0.5)–1.8–2.8 mm, usually awn-tipped; central awn 3–4.5 mm, column 0.5–1 mm, hardly twisting, ≈ palea, < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3–3.8 mm, ≤ upper lemma hairs, interkeel glabrous, margins sometimes with a few long hairs. Callus 0.2–0.4 mm, a few marginal hairs overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.5–0.8 mm. Anthers 0.5–1.1–(1.4) mm. Caryopsis 1.2–1.4 × 0.5–0.7 mm; embryo 0.6–0.7 mm; hilum 0.3 mm. Plate 12D.

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