Poa bulbosa L.

Tightly packed, swollen-based perennial tufts to c. 10 cm; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath cream, membranous, glabrous, later shredding into fibres; inner basal sheaths thick, swollen and hard at base; sheaths of cauline leaves light green, some purplish. Ligule 0.5–2.5 mm, entire, tapered, apically glabrous or very sparingly ciliate, abaxially glabrous. Leaf-blade 2.5–5 cm long, rather stiff, folded, grey-green, glabrous; margins minutely scabrid, midrib also scabrid near abruptly pointed tip. Culm 5–10 cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 2–4 cm, contracted, ± oblong, with densely packed spikelets; rachis smooth, branches few, ± erect, sparsely scabrid. Spikelets 3–3.5 mm, 2–3-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, 2–3 mm, ovate, acute, keel distinct, green, scabrid; lower l-nerved, upper 3-nerved; margins membranous, wide, purplish. Lemma c. 3 mm, 5-nerved, ovate, acute, membranous, glabrous, nerves densely ciliate on lower ½, midnerve scabrid above hairs. Palea c. 2.5 mm, keels minutely ciliate, interkeel glabrous. Callus with tuft of tangled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation much shorter. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm. Anthers 1–1.5 mm. Caryopsis not seen.

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