Chionochloa juncea

Detailed description

Tall, rush-like, red tussock with swollen bases from rootstock clothed in old leaf-sheaths, leaves persistent, ultimately falling below sheath with one fracture. Leaf-sheath to 150 mm, dark brown, entire, persistent, internerves hairy but often appearing glabrous, margin long hairy above, apical tuft of hairs to 4 mm. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 700 × 1 mm, acicular rush-like, finally falling with top part of sheath, abaxially glabrous sometimes with long hairs below aside prominent, shining, hollow keel, becoming glabrous, adaxially with weft of long hairs at base, prickle-teeth above; margin with long hairs below glabrous above. Culm to 900 mm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 200 mm, open, spikelets on long, pulvinate, flexuous branches; rachis and branches sparsely short hairy below becoming glabrous except for few hairs at axils and below spikelets. Spikelets of up to 6 purpled florets. Glumes glabrous, < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 11 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 12 mm, 5-nerved. Lemma to 5.5 mm; hairs dense on margin, very few aside central nerve, glabrous elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes up to 4 mm, including awn up to 2.5 mm; central awn up to 10 mm, reflexed from 1 mm flat column. Palea to 6 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 0.8 mm. Lodicules to 0.5 mm. Anthers to 3.5 mm. Ovary to 0.5 mm; stigma-styles to 2 mm. Seeds to 2 mm.