Festuca filiformis Pourr.

Tufts of scabrid very fine leaves overtopped by darkly coloured narrow inflorescences with many spikelets of awnless florets. Caespitose or shortly stoloniferous; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath 1–5 cm, » wider than leaf-blade, keeled, striate, open to base, glabrous or occasionally with scattered fine hairs; apical auricles c. 0.1 mm, finely ciliate. Collar thickened. Ligule 0.2–0.2 mm. Leaf-blade to 20 cm × 0.3–0.5 mm, elliptical to laterally compressed, capillary, abaxially scattered fine antrorse prickle-teeth, adaxially finely hairy; TS: 5–7 vascular bundles, 1 rib, sclerenchyma continuous. Culm to 30 cm, often a single internode, densely finely hairy or becoming glabrous, sometimes purpled. Panicle 2–4–8 cm, very narrow, of 10–12–14–(20) nodes, (10)–60 spikelets much overlapping; branches solitary, short, mostly appressed to rachis, scarcely naked below; basal branch 1.5–3 cm of 10–20 spikelets, uppermost 6–10 spikelets solitary on short pedicels; rachis prickled on angles below becoming dense above, branches and pedicels densely so. Spikelets 4–7 mm, 3–6 florets, widely opened at anthesis, sometimes bright violet. Glumes unequal, reflexed at anthesis, keeled, prickle-toothed above, margins shortly ciliate; lower 1.0–1.75 mm, 1-nerved, keeled, upper 1.75–2.5 mm, 3 evident or raised nerves, ± obtuse. Lemma 2.5–3 mm, 5-nerved, lobes minute or 0, rounded below, prickle-teeth above on midnerve and below on lateral nerves, margins ciliate below; awn 0, mucro, or 0.1–0.2–0.5 mm; golden to purple especially above. Palea 2.5–3 mm, ≥ lemma, broad, apex narrowed and bifid, keels toothed in upper ⅓, interkeel with some few hairs at apex. Rachilla 0.4–0.5 mm, short hairy. Callus 0.1–0.15 mm, shortly bearded laterally; articulation ± oblique. Lodicules 0.3–0.5 mm, entire or lobed. Anthers 1.4–1.8 mm, yellow or purple-suffused, or purple. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous; stigma-styles 1.0–1.25 mm. Caryopsis 1.4–1.75 mm, sulcate, free; embryo c. 0.3 mm; hilum linear.

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