Rytidosperma merum

Detailed description

Rather fine-leaved, densely tufted, light green, shortly rhizomatous grass. Older growth distinctly straw-coloured, with long, drooping or trailing culms; leaves very much less than culms; branching extra or intervaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous, glabrous with a sparse apical tuft of hairs up to 1.5 mm long. Ligule 0.1–0.2 mm. Leaf-blade 250–400 mm, more or less flat, glabrous, occasionally with a few sparse, scattered hairs, margins scabird. Culm very slender, tawny with smooth internodes otherwise minutely scabrid belwo inflorescence, elongating to 0.14 m (or more) at maturity. Inflorescence a raceme or racemose panicle with 1–2 short branches at base, slender to 80 mm, comprising few narrow, sessile to subsessile spikelets; rachise and pedicels finely scabrid with longer fine hairs on margins especially below spikelets. Spikelets 4–6-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes light green, occasionally purplish, lanceolate, subobtuse 7–15 mm, more or less equal, 5–7-nerved. Lemma 2.5–4 mm, 7–9-nerved, upper row of hairs in small marginal tufts only, about equal to lemma or occasionally with upper tufts absent, lower row in small marginal tufts only, or a few small tufts or single hairs on margin; lobes 3–8.5 mm, soon tapering to a fine awn; central awn 6.5–14 mm, column 2.5–3.5 mm. Palea 2.5–5 mm, > upper lemma hairs, interkeel and margins glabrous. Callus 0.6–1 mm, marginal hair tufts rarely reaching base of lower lateral tufts. Rachilla 0.5–0.6 mm. Anthers 0.3–1.5 mm. Seed 1.7–2.5 × 0.9–1.2 mm.