2n = 28

Long-rhizomatous, narrow-leaved perennial, forming greyish-green extravaginal tufts, to 25 cm tall; laminae persistent. Sheaths light greenishbrown, faintly purpled above, smooth or occasionally scabrous between nerves, membranous, keeled, with a few prominent nerves; ligule 0.5—1—(1.5) mm long, entire, smooth across top, truncate but ± abruptly pointed at centre, minutely ciliate-scabrous abaxially; lamina (2)—5—9—(12) mm long, wiry, inrolled and c. 1 mm wide, smooth, adaxially quite glabrous or with scattered short hairs especially near margins, abaxially glabrous, tip acicular. Culms 10- 25 cm tall, slender, glabrous, smooth. Panicle 2- 4.5-(6) cm long, with few, ± spreading branchlets; rachis glabrous, smooth, branchlets very slender, glabrous, smooth, tipped by very few, narrow spikelets. Spikelets 6-9 mm long, 3-4-flowered, greenish- brown. Glumes subequal, glabrous, smooth, rarely with a few minute teeth on midnerve near apex, acute to subobtuse; lower glume (3)-3.5- 4 mm long, 1-3-nerved, narrow-elliptic, upper (3.5)-4-4.5 mm long, 3-5-nerved, more broadly ovate. Lemma 4.5—5-(6) mm long, 5-7-(9)-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, glabrous apart from short hairs on midnerve for 2/3 length and on lateral nerves near base, with some longer hairs at very base, smooth apart from minute prickle teeth on midnerve and lateral nerves near tip, margins narrowmembranous, entire. Palea 3-4-(5) mm long, much narrower, and noticeably shorter than lemma, sparsely, minutely fine-ciliate on keels, elsewhere smooth and glabrous. Callus with tufts of long fine hairs just below mid- and lateral nerves of lemma. Rachilla less than 1 mm long, glabrous, smooth, or occasionally with a few microscopic prickle-teeth. Dioecious: ♂ with anthers 2.9-3.3 mm long, gynoecium 0.7-1.3 mm long; ♀ with pollen-sterile anthers 0.6—1—( 1.4) mm long, gynoecium (1.5)-2- 2.5 mm long, caryopsis 1-2 mm long.

Gramen pcrenne rhizomate longissimo, marginibus foliorum griseoviridium involutis: Poae novae-zelandiae affine lacvibus paniculae ramulis lemmatis nervis ad basem pilosis calloque villoso-barbato, differt autem habitu et foliis sed praesertim plantis dioecis non gynomonoecis ut in Poa novae-zelandiae.

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