Lachnagrostis pilosa subsp. pilosa

Detailed description

Usually a robust, wide-leaved, perennial forming tufts 50–900 mm tall, rarely more gracile. Leaves usually harsh, dull green drying dark green. Inflorescences paniculate, usually rather large, firm, pale green and many flowered. Branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath harsh textured, firm, striate, smooth or finely scabrid above, green to light brown. Ligule 1.3–6.0 mm, tapered, rounded, becoming denticulate, undersides finely scabrid. Leaf-blade 20–280 × 0.5–10 mm, usually flat, sometimes rather harsh and involute above, undersides with numerous fine, finely scabrid ribs, midrib prominent near base, upper surface finely ribbed and finely scabrid on ribs; margins finely scabrid, apex subobtuse. Culm 200–660 mm, erect, internodes usually entirely smooth, sometimes with a few prickle-teeth just below panicle, or rarely scabrid. Panicle 20–280 × 10–200 mm, at first stiff and contracted with erect branches, at maturity often more lax and ovate-elliptic; rachis smooth below, scabrid above, primary branches sparsely scabrid, filiform, very long, erect, secondary branchlets much shorter, very numerous, capillary, scaberulous, tipped by several clustered spikelets. Spikelets 3–6 mm, light green (rarely purple-green). Glumes ± equal, smooth and membranous, rarely sparsely scabrid in upper half, acute to acuminate; lower elliptic-lanceolate, scabrid on upper ⅔ of keel, upper linear-lanceolate, scabrid on upper ½ of keel. Lemma 2.0–2.8 mm long, < ⅔ length of glumes, elliptic-oblong, truncate, bearing long hairs in the lower ⅔, lateral nerves shortly excurrent; awn 3.0–8.5 mm long, geniculate, mid-dorsal. Palea elliptic-oblong ½–⅗ length of lemma, nerves scarcely evident, 0.2 mm apart, apex shallowly bifid. Callus hairs conspicuous, to 1.5 mm long, to ½ length of lemma. Rachilla prolongation < 0.5 mm with hairs to c. 1 mm, or absent. Lodicules c. 0.5 mm long, lanceolate, acute. Anthers 0.6–1.8 mm long. Seed 1.3–1.8 × 0.4–0.6 mm.