Poa nemoralis L.

Loose, bright green perennial tufts, to 50 cm; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green to light brown, membranous, smooth, or lower sheaths sparsely scabrid, striate. Ligule 0.4–0.5–(0.8) mm, truncate, minutely ciliate, abaxially minutely scabrid. Leaf-blade 5–12–(15) cm × 1.5–2 mm, weak, flat, abaxially glabrous, adaxially minutely pubescent-scabrid, often densely scabrid just above ligule; margins minutely scabrid, tip finely to abruptly acute. Culm 20–30–(40) cm, erect or spreading, terete, internodes glabrous. Panicle 5–20 cm, lax and open; branches few to many, filiform, finely scabrid, naked below with few small spikelets near tips. Spikelets 3–4.5 mm, 2–4-flowered, light green. Glumes equal or subequal, acute to acuminate, 3-nerved, midnerve finely scabrid above; lower 2.2–3 mm, narrow-lanceolate, upper (2.2)–2.5–3.5 mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate; margins glabrous. Lemma c. 3.0 mm, finely 5-nerved but inner lateral nerves not always distinct, narrow oblong-lanceolate, midnerve and outer lateral nerves with fine hairs to ½ length; margins, midnerve and internerves minutely scabrid near subacute tip. Palea ≈ lemma, keels densely, minutely scabrid, interkeel glabrous. Callus with small tuft of long soft hairs or a few wispy hairs. Rachilla c. 1 mm, softly short-ciliate; prolongation usually twice as long. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm. Anthers c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.2–1.3 × 0.3–0.4 mm.

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