Glyceria plicata (Fr.) Fr.

Stout, with leafy shoots ascending from a prostrate rooting base. Leaf-sheath papery, light brown, closed, keeled, finely striate (ribs becoming undulate), with very fine prickle-teeth or hairs above and on ribs, cross-veinlets few, inconspicuous. Ligule 3–10 mm, membranous, tapered above, abaxially minutely, finely prickle-toothed. Leaf-blade (5)–15–25 cm × (2)–3.5–7 mm, folded to flat, finely ribbed with minute fine prickle-teeth on ribs, or adaxially smooth; margins finely tubercular-scabrid. Culm 30–40–(65) cm, finely ribbed, branched near base, several-noded, internodes spongy, glabrous. Panicle 18–40 cm, very lax, branches at lower nodes in clusters of 2–5 with one longer branch finally spreading, the rest much shorter with very few spikelets; rachis, branches and pedicels sparsely finely scabrid. Spikelets 12–22 mm, 8–12-flowered, linear-oblong, light green or purplish. Glumes unequal, membranous, 1-nerved, broadly elliptic-oblong, obtuse; lower 1.5–2–(2.5) mm, upper 2.5–3–(4.5) mm. Lemma 4–4.5–(5.5) mm, 7-nerved, broadly oblong-obovate, obtuse or slightly 3-lobed; nerves minutely scabrid, not extending into wide hyaline upper margin. Palea 3.5–4–(4.5) mm, ≤ lemma, elliptic, rather firm, shortly bidenticulate, keels minutely scabrid, narrowly winged. Rachilla 1–1.5 mm, glabrous. Anthers 1–1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.5–2.2 × 0.9–1.1 mm.

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