Stenostachys gracilis

Detailed description

Perennial, stoloniferous, green, glaucous or yellow-green grass forming open to densely tufted, wide somewhat flat-leaved patches with long nodding inflorescences; often very stout in forested areas. Leaf-sheath 50–150 mm, with long (0.5–1.0 mm) hairs irregularly retrorse or erect, occasionally glabrate or glabrous. Auricles to 0.5 mm or minute, scarcely clasping. Ligule 0.3–1.0 mm, erose. Leaf-blade 100–200 × 1.5–2.0 mm, flat, thin, usually with hairs 0.5–1.0 mm or bearing sparse prickle-teeth above and glabrous below; margins glabrous. Culm 0.7–1.2 m long, slender, nodes evident sometimes ± geniculate, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence slender, narrow 100–300 mm, glaucous or somewhat powdery greyish white, comprised of 15–40 spikelets > internodes; internodes 2–5 mm but longer at base; rachis prolongation 2–6 mm. Spikelets to 10 mm, of 1–3 forests, on 1.0–1.5 mm stipes in the absence of glumes; rachilla prolongation 1.5–3.0 mm, conspicuously short stiffly hairy. Glumes 0, sometimes 1–2 and awn-like, 0–3 mm, very rarely 5–6 mm above, 1-nerved, prickle-toothed, much less than spikelets in length. Lemma 7–10 mm, prickle-teeth abundant, weakly keeled, infrequently bifid at apex, canaliculated above, tapering to awn 1.5–6.0 mm. Palea 5–7 mm, < lemma, apex usually prolonged or retuse; keels toothed and usually inrolled. Callus short, 0.5 mm, surrounded by abundant short stiff hairs; disarticulation ± oblique. Rachilla 1.5–2.5 mm, shortly prickle-toothed. Lodicules 0.75–1.00 mm. Anthers 1.5–2.0 mm, often retained as a remnant surmounting the seed apex. Ovary 1.25–1.40 mm; stigma-styles 1.5–2.0 mm. Seed 4.00–4.25 mm. Flowers mostly cleistogamous.