Poa subvestita (Hack.) Edgar

Often robust, bright green perennial tufts to 40 cm, with erect, wide, rather stiff leaves overtopped by culms; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath green to light brown, membranous, distinctly ribbed, glabrous; midrib thickened above. Ligule 1–2.5–(6.5) mm, apically glabrous, entire, sometimes ± erose, shortly tapered, often narrowed to a long point, abaxially short-pubescent or rarely glabrous. Leaf-blade 5–20 cm × 2–4–(6.5) mm, flat, abaxially smooth, adaxially with minute, ± appressed prickle-teeth; margins thickened, smooth, rarely with a few prickle-teeth near base, abruptly narrowed and curved to ± thickened, ovate to acute tip. Culm 10–20–(40) cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle (3)–6–10–(15) cm, lax and often drooping above or sometimes dense; branches short, fine, ± crowded, smooth, very rarely sparsely prickle-toothed, tipped by large spikelets. Spikelets (6)–8–10 mm, 4–6-flowered, light green to purple. Glumes subequal, smooth throughout or midnerve sparsely scabrid above; lower (2.5)–3–4.5 mm, 1-nerved, narrow-lanceolate, usually acuminate, upper 3–5.5 mm, 3-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute or subobtuse. Lemma (3.5)–4.5–6 mm, 3-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute to obtuse, glabrous except for soft tangled hairs on lower ½ of nerves; margins membranous wide, occasionally with a few sparse prickle-teeth. Palea (3)–3.5–4–(4.5) mm, keels sparsely ciliate in upper ½, interkeel and flanks glabrous. Callus with thick tufts of long hairs below lemma nerves. Rachilla c. 1 mm, glabrous, or with occasional hairs. Lodicules 0.5–1 mm. Dioecious: ♂ with anthers (1.5)–2–3 mm, gynoecium c. 0.2 mm; ♀ with ovary c. 1 mm, stigma-styles c. 1.5 mm, pollen-sterile anthers 0.3–0.7 mm, caryopsis 0.5–0.8 × 0.2–0.3 mm. 2n= 28.

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