Rytidosperma telmaticum

Detailed description

Small low-growing olive-green tufted tussock-forming, self-compatible grass becoming pallid with many old small straw-coloured bladeless ligule-tipped sheaths below compact intravaginal innovations of 3–4 semi-pungent leaves much less than culms; sometimes open and evidently stoloniferous, rooting and shooting at nodes. Leaf-sheath 5–10 mm, usually glabrous but often long hairy, pale straw-coloured, shining, ridged, broader than leaf blade; upper surface with many fine hairs; apical tuft 0.50–0.75 mm, sparse, spreading. Ligule 0.2–0.3 mm, of fine hairs. Leaf-blade 10–25 × 2 mm, inrolled, glabrous, apex thickened and pointed, ciliate; disarticulating at ligule; undersides very finely prickle-toothed on nerves; margins very finely antrorsely prickle-toothed. Culm 20–200 mm, internodes smooth, shining; nodes 3–5, constricted, often geniculate below; inflorescence internodes 30–70 mm long, sheath sometimes with regular horizontal bands. Inflorescences racemose or a racemose-panicle 5–35 mm, bearing 2–7 spikelets on very short branches or solitary; margins of rachis and branches very finely toothed; pedicels hairy, hairs denser and longer below spikelets. Spikelets 4–5 mm, of 3–5 small closely compact florets usually included by glumes, occasionally upper florets exserted. Glumes c. 4–5 mm long, linear acute, faintly keeled, keels occasionally scabrid above, centrally purple or green, margins chartaceous, 3–5-nerves confluent above and central nerve excurrent; upper surface bearing abundant small white hairs. Lemma 1.50–1.75–2.25 mm, ovate, straw-coloured, sometimes purpled above, 5–7 nerves anastomising below sinus; dense long hairs in two rows less than or equal to lemma apex, upper row of irregular tufts, lower row of denser longer tufts reaching upper row, glabrous below lower row, single pair of marginal tufts at level of rhacilla apex often extending below, upper surface finely hairy; apex tridentate with two 0.2 mm long lateral lobes and finely ciliate mucro in sinus, 0.2–0.5 mm or absent, usually > lobes. Callus 0.10–0.25 mm, rounded-obtuse, disarticulation oblique, marginal hair tufts 0.3–0.5 mm overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.3–0.7 mm, glabrous. Anthers 0.30–0.75 mm, purple. Ovary 0.4–0.5 mm, stipitate; stigma-styles 0.75–1.00 mm. Seed 0.8–1.0 mm, stipitate, broadly ovate.