Rytidosperma corinum Connor & Edgar

Small, compact, light green or blue-green tussocks; leaves pungent, acicular, ≈ or usually slightly < culms, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous; apical tuft of hairs to 1.5–(2.5) mm. Ligule (0.3)–0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 15 cm, glabrous, stiff, inrolled, margins scabrid. Culm to 25 cm, internodes smooth but scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle racemose, small, compact, erect, to 4–(6) cm, of very few spikelets on short slender pedicels; rachis and pedicels short-scabrid with few longer hairs below spikelets and at branch axils. Spikelets 4–5–(6)-flowered, awns equalling or slightly exserted from glumes. Glumes sometimes purplish, lanceolate, acute or subacute, 9–11–(15) mm, ± equal; lower (3)–5–(7)-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma 2–2.5–(2.8) mm, 9-nerved, upper row of hairs continuous but sparse, with one or two stronger marginal tufts and tufts of few hairs between, « lemma lobes, lower row of strong marginal tufts and scattered tufts between, just reaching to upper row, glabrous elsewhere but occasional hairs centrally and on margins; lobes 3–5–(6) mm, tapering to fine awn; central awn 7–8.5 mm, column (1.5)–2–2.5 mm, usually > upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.5–4 mm, usually > upper lemma hairs, interkeel glabrous, margins very rarely with 1–2 long hairs. Callus (0.3)–0.4–(0.5) mm, sparse marginal hair tufts reaching lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.6–0.9 mm. Anthers 0.6–1–(1.6) mm, red or pinkish red. Caryopsis 1.5–1.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm; embryo 0.6–0.8 mm; hilum 0.4–0.5 mm. Plate 11D.

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