2n = 98

2n = 98

Lax, bluish green, perennial tufts, 15-35 cm tall, usually with narrow, involute leaves and very lax panicles; innovations extravaginal, each shoot with 1-2 blunt-tipped sheaths at base and with the lowest leaf blade often much reduced. Leaf-sheaths submembranous, distinctly nerved, smooth or sometimes scabrous above; ligule (1.5)—2.5-4.5 mm, tapered above to acute tip or denticulate, abaxially scabrous; leaf-blades 6-16 cm long, 0.4-0.8 mm diam. when inrolled and up to 1.2 mm wide if flat, abaxially smooth to scabrous (especially near tip), adaxially finely scabrous, margins finely scabrous, tip fine, obtuse. Culms 10-15 cm tall, slender, smooth, but usually enclosed by uppermost leaf sheath. Panicle (7)-10-16 × 1.5-12—(15) cm; branchlets few, long, filiform, ± closely, finely scabrous, each tipped by a single spikelet. Spikelets (4.5)-5-7 mm, light green. Glumes ± equal, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, midnerve scabrous on upper ½ - 2/3, hyaline margins scabrous near tip, or glumes sometimes sparsely scabrous throughout. Lemma (2.8)-3.2-3.7 mm, slightly <½ length of glumes, 5-nerved, densely covered throughout by long, silky hairs, oblong, truncate, lateral nerves minutely excurrent, rarely lemma less hairy near tip and scabrous nerves clearly visible; awn 4-5.5-(6) mm, very fine, straight or ± curved, ± mid-dorsal. Palea 2/3-¾ length of lemma, keels c. 0.1 mm apart, not excurrent at bifid tip. Callus hairs dense, 1.5- 2 mm, to 2/3 length of lemma. Lodicules 0.9-1.2 mm, linear. Rachilla 0.5-0.8 mm, tipped by a dense tuft of hairs 1-2 mm. Anthers 0.9-1.3 mm. Caryopsis c. 2 × 0.7-1 mm. Endemic.

Gramen perenne, aliquantum breve, laxum, paniculis laxis, spiculis longis, lemmatibusque longissimis praeditum. Lemma hyalinum, pilis densis obtectum; arista recta vel curvata. Palea lemmate aliquanto brevior. Callus et rachilla caespitulo pilorum densorum ornata. Attingit L. lyallii, differt autem paniculis laxioribus, spiculis paucioribus, lemmatibus longioribus dense pilosis, aristisque plus minusve rectis non geniculatis. L. elatae similis Iemmatis longitudine et aristae adspectu, differt autem praecipue lemmatibus dense pilosis et statura minore.

Lax, bluish green, perennial tufts, 15-35 cm, usually with narrow, involute leaves and very lax panicles; branching extravaginal, each shoot with 1-2 blunt-tipped sheaths at base and with the lowest leaf-blade often much reduced. Leaf-sheath submembranous, distinctly ribbed, smooth or sometimes scabrid above. Ligule (1.5)-2.5-4.5 mm, tapered above to acute tip or denticulate, abaxially scabrid. Leaf-blade 6-16 cm × 0.4-0.8 mm diam., inrolled, to 1.2 mm wide if flat, abaxially smooth to scabrid (especially near tip), adaxially finely scabrid; margins finely scabrid, tip fine, obtuse. Culm 10-15 cm, slender, usually included within uppermost leaf-sheath, internodes glabrous. Panicle (7)-10-16 × 1.5-12-(15) cm; branches few, long, filiform, ± closely, finely scabrid, each tipped by a single spikelet. Spikelets (4.5)-5-7 mm, light green. Glumes ± equal, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, scabrid above and on midnerve and hyaline margins, or sometimes sparsely scabrid throughout. Lemma (2.8)-3.2-3.7 mm, ± ½ length of glumes, 5-nerved, densely covered throughout by long, silky hairs, oblong, truncate, lateral nerves minutely excurrent, rarely lemma less hairy near apex and scabrid nerves clearly visible; awn 4-5.5-(6) mm, very fine, straight or ± curved, ± middorsal. Palea ⅔-¾ length of lemma, keels c. 0.1 mm apart, apex bifid. Callus hairs dense, 1.5-2 mm, to ⅔ length of lemma. Rachilla prolongation 0.5-0.8 mm, tipped by a dense tuft of hairs 1-2 mm. Lodicules 0.9-1.2 mm, linear. Anthers 0.9-1.3 mm. Caryopsis c. 2 × 0.7-1 mm.