Chionochloa juncea Zotov

Tall, junceous, red tussock with swollen bases from rootstock clothed in old leaf-sheaths, leaves persistent, ultimately falling below sheath with one fracture. Leaf-sheath to 15 cm, very dark brown, entire, persistent, internerves hairy but often appearing glabrous, margin long hairy above, apical tuft of hairs to 4 mm. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 70 cm × 1 mm diam., acicular junceous, finally falling with top part of sheath, abaxially glabrous sometimes with long hairs below aside prominent, shining, hollow keel, becoming glabrous, adaxially with weft of long hairs at base, prickle-teeth above; margin with long hairs below glabrous above. Culm to 90 cm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 20 cm, open, spikelets on long, pulvinate, flexuous branches; rachis and branches sparsely short hairy below becoming glabrous except for few hairs at axils and below spikelets. Spikelets of up to 6 purpled florets. Glumes glabrous, < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 11 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 12 mm, 5-nerved. Lemma to 5.5 mm; hairs dense on margin, very few aside central nerve, glabrous elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes up to 4 mm, including awn up to 2.5 mm; central awn up to 10 mm, reflexed from 1 mm flat column. Palea to 6 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 0.8 mm. Lodicules to 0.5 mm. Anthers to 3.5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.5 mm; stigma-styles to 2 mm. Caryopsis to 2 mm.

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