Bromus hordeaceus L.

Annual, greyish green tufts, 10–100 cm. Leaf-sheath villous with long, soft hairs; upper sheaths sometimes glabrous. Ligule 0.5–1.5 mm, denticulate, abaxially short-hairy. Leaf-blade (1.5)–3–18 cm × (1)–1.5–5 mm, flaccid, velvety with soft, short hairs; tip subacute. Culm erect or geniculate at base, internodes minutely pubescent. Panicle (1.5)–2.5–15 cm, erect, ± contracted; branches pubescent, bearing 1-few spikelets; sometimes panicle reduced to a single spikelet. Spikelets 1.5–3 cm, 4–12–(16)-flowered, ovate to oblong, greyish green or purplish. Glumes subequal, acute, membranous, ± closely pubescent; lower 4.5–7.5 mm, 3–5-nerved, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, upper 5.5–8.5 mm, 5–7-nerved, elliptic. Lemma 6.5–10.5 mm, 7-nerved, rounded, papery with prominent nerves, obovate to elliptic, shortly pubescent throughout or ± glabrous below, or rarely entirely glabrous or very rarely scabrid; margins hyaline, flat, overlapping, usually narrow; awn 3–8 mm. Palea slightly < lemma, keels with sparse short stiff hairs sometimes interspersed with minute hairs. Callus glabrous. Rachilla minutely pubescent. Anthers 0.5–1.5–(2.5) mm. Caryopsis 4.5–6.5 × 1.5–2 mm.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing).]