Ehrharta longiflora Sm.

Erect, tufted annuals, 60–100 cm. Leaf-sheath obviously nerved, keeled, submembranous, with sparse short hairs near base. Ligule c. 2 mm, deeply lacerate. Collar with hairs to 2.0 mm. Leaf-blade to 20 cm × 10 mm, flat, glabrous or with scattered long hairs, margins scaberulous. Culm 25–50–(80) cm, geniculate at base, internodes minutely scaberulous just below panicle and nodes. Panicle to 20 cm, narrow, open, with few, short, slender branches; pedicels filiform, long hairy. Spikelets 14–20 mm, light purplish green. Glumes unequal, < spikelets, membranous, margins ciliate; lower 2.5–3.5 mm, 5-nerved, elliptic, narrowed above to acute tip, upper c. 4.5 mm, 9-nerved, broadly ovate, tip mucronate. Lemmas of Ø florets similar in shape, indistinctly 5–7-nerved, coriaceous, scabrid, conspicuously awned to c. 9 mm and with a hinge-like appendage at base; lower < upper, with 3 basal tufts of hairs to 2 mm, upper with 2 less conspicuous tufts. Lemma of ☿ floret 6–7 mm, 7-nerved, elliptic, subcoriaceous, glabrous, awnless. Palea 5–6 mm, subhyaline, glabrous but finely ciliate-scabrid on keel below. Lodicules 1–1.5 mm, hair-tipped. Stamens 6; anthers c. 1.5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 1 mm; stigma-styles 1.75 mm. Caryopsis 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm.

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