Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) P.Beauv.

Perennials with decumbent stems, forming a loose mat; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath light green to purplish, membranous, striate, often with scattered short hairs or long tubercle-based hairs, margins often darker purplish brown, densely short-ciliate or hairs scattered, short. Ligule 0.6–1.5 mm, truncate, erose, ciliate, or hairs few, short centrally and longer near margins. Leaf-blade with short, fine, evenly spaced hairs throughout or only on one surface, and often with scattered, long, tubercle-based hairs, rarely glabrous, gradually narrowed to acute tip; midrib obscure in upper ½, variously pubescent or glabrous. Culm nodes pubescent, internodes finely ridged, minutely scabrid on ridges below panicle. Panicle raceme-like; rachis bearing ± distant to approximate small clusters of spikelets and sometimes racemelets below and paired to solitary spikelets above; racemelets composed of a few contiguous spikelet-pairs usually < 3 mm apart; rachis and branches finely scabrid on angles, long tubercle-based hairs at spikelet axils or on pedicels. Spikelets light green to purple above, awned; awns short, straight, glabrous. Glumes 1.5–2.5 mm, membranous, often with scattered tubercle-based hairs, often ciliate above and at base; lower 3–5-nerved, always awned (awn (1.5)–3–9 mm), upper (3)–5–(7)-nerved, acute, or mucronate to awned. Lower floret Ø: lemma 2–3 mm, 5–7–(9)-nerved, = spikelet, shortly awned, shortly mucronate or acute; palea ½ length of lemma or 0. Upper floret ☿: lemma and palea chartaceous, ≈ spikelet; anthers c. 1–2 mm; gynoecium: ovary 0.5 mm, stigma-styles 2–3.5 mm; caryopsis c. 1.5 mm.

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