Festuca deflexa Connor

Elegant tufted slender or ± stout extravaginally branching grass rooting at nodes with tall inflorescences of deflexed branches of spikelets borne high above fine glaucous leaf-blades. Prophyll 3–6 cm, keels predominantly antrorsely ciliate. Branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath 3–7–12 cm, keeled, red, purple or stramineous, glabrous or with short fine prickles sparse on ribs, margins membranous, glabrous; apical auricles 0.4–0.7 mm, rounded or truncate, symmetrical, ciliate. Ligule shorter centrally, erose, ciliate. Collar triangular, thickened. Leaf-blade 15–25 cm × 0.4–0.7 mm diam., hexagonal in outline and ribs evident or rounded, glaucous, usually persistent, abaxially smooth but occasionally prickle-toothed below and very occasionally with retrorse hairs, abaxially and on margins a multitude of short antrose hairs at base becoming fewer above; TS: 5 vascular bundles, 7 sclerenchyma strands. Culm (15)–30–65 cm, erect, much exceeding leaf-blades, internodes glabrous, nodes evident. Panicle 7–16 cm, with 4–10 nodes, 7–25 spikelets; branches widely spaced, pulvinate and spreading to deflexed, basal branch solitary or binate 5–8 cm with 4–8 spikelets, naked below, uppermost 3–9 spikelets solitary on 4–6 mm pedicels; rachis smooth below becoming prickle-toothed on edges, branches and pedicels prickle-toothed. Spikelets 8–14 mm × 3–4 mm wide, of 5–7 florets, ripening golden-brown, often very distant. Glumes unequal, keeled or faintly so, prickle-toothed on keel above, margins ciliate, apex truncate and sometimes shallowly cleft or obtuse; usually green or light purple centrally, lighter or hyaline at thin margins; lower 3–4.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 3.5–6.5 mm, usually 3-nerved often conspicuous. Lemma 5–6.75 mm, lobes 0 or minute, lightly purpled, nerves evident, slightly keeled above, prickle-toothed from outermost nerve to very shortly ciliate chartaceous margin and near awn; awn 0.2–1.75 mm, sparsely prickle-toothed. Palea 5.5–7.5 mm, ≥ lemma, apex deeply (0.2–0.5 mm) bifid, keels toothed sometimes to base, interkeel hairs in upper ⅓, margins of flanks very shortly toothed. Callus 0.2–0.75 mm, bearded near rachilla; articulation ± flat. Rachilla 1–1.5 mm, short stiff hairy. Lodicules 0.7–1.1 mm, lobed or entire, hair-tipped. Anthers (2)–3–4.0 mm, yellow or purple tinged. Gynoecium: ovary 0.6–1 mm, hispid hairs at apex; stigma-styles 1.5–2.5 mm, stigmas almost to base. Caryopsis 3–3.5 mm; embryo 0.75 mm; hilum 2 mm.

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