2n = 28

Coarse long-leaved, dioecious, extravaginally branching often pendulous grass with elongate internodes and rooting at nodes; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath 10 cm, keeled, ridged, open to base, becoming dull brown and fragile, finely retrorsely hairy; margin membranous, darker brown. Ligule 1 mm, ciliate, adaxially finely hairy. Collar conspicuous, margin short hairy. Leaf-blade to 80 cm × 3–4 mm coriaceous, folded below and at apex, ± flat elsewhere, abaxially glabrous with some lon g hairs near collar, adaxially clothed with many small antrorse hairs, denser near ligule; margin very sparsely toothed below becoming almost glabrous; apex prickle-toothed and sharp pointed. Culm to 85 cm, many-noded, erect or with some geniculat e nodes; nodes swollen, coloured, glabrous; internodes glabrous. Panicle to 25 cm, open, violet-suffused, subtended by bract to 2.5 mm; several to many solitary rarely binate branches at internodes, naked below with solitary spikelets, branches > internodes; rachis glabrous, branches and pedicels glabrous t o sparsely shortly prickle-toothed. Spikelets 10– 12 mm × 2 mm, gaping at anthesis, (1)–3–4– 6 widely separated florets; rachilla prolonged. Glumes unequal, centrally green, violet elsewhere, nerve s elevated; lower 2 .5–3 .5 mm, 1–3-nerved, upper 3 .5– 5 mm, 5-nerved (3 long 2 short), adaxially shortly hairy at apex, margins ciliate. Lemma 4.5–6 mm, 5-nerved, centrally green, violet elsewhere, abundantly finely pubescent throughout, keel prickle-toothed above, margins ciliate, membranous above, apex recurved, shortly lobed and mucronate (0.05 mm or 0), becoming erose. Palea 4.5–5.2 mm, lemma, apex bifid, keels minutely stiff hairy. Callus 0.25 mm, short, blunt, glabrous or with a few prickles. Rachilla 1.5 mm, glabrous or with a few prickles at base; prolonged. Lodicules 0 .5–1 .0 mm, acutely lobed, tip ciliate. Anthers of male flowers: 2.75–3–3 .75 mm, yellow or violet-suffused; of female flowers: 2–2.2 mm, white, pollenless. Gynoecium of male flowers: 0.8–1.0 mm; of female flowers: ovary 0.8–1.2 mm, glabrous; stigma-styles 2-3-3.5 mm, widely disposed, stigmatic hairs al - most to base. Caryopsis not seen. Endemic.

Gramen dioecium grande grossum porrecte extendens, habitu Poae ancipiti subsimile, aliter ab novozelandicis Poae speciebus valde divergens, paniculae ramis vix divisis infra conspicue nudis, nervis glumarum lemmatumque elevatis, rachillae segmentis insigniter prolongatis.

Coarse long-leaved, dioecious, extravaginally branching often pendulous grass with elongate internodes and rooting at nodes; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath 10 cm, keeled, ribbed, open to base, becoming dull brown and fragile, finely retrorsely hairy, margin membranous, darker brown. Ligule 1 mm, ciliate, abaxially finely hairy. Collar conspicuous, margin short hairy. Leaf-blade to 80 cm × 3-4 mm, coriaceous, folded below and at apex, ± flat elsewhere, abaxially glabrous with some long hairs near collar, adaxially clothed with many small antrorse hairs, denser near ligule; margins very sparsely prickle-toothed below becoming almost smooth but apex prickle-toothed and sharp-pointed. Culm to 85 cm, many noded, erect or with some geniculate nodes, nodes swollen, coloured, glabrous; internodes glabrous. Panicle to 25 cm, open, violet-suffused, subtended by bract to 2.5 mm; several to many solitary rarely binate branches at internodes, naked below with solitary spikelets, branches > internodes; rachis glabrous, branches and pedicels glabrous to sparsely shortly prickle-toothed. Spikelets 10-12 mm × 2 mm, gaping at anthesis, (1)-3-4-6 widely separated florets. Glumes unequal, centrally green, violet elsewhere, nerves elevated; lower 2.5-3.5 mm, 1-3-nerved, upper 3.5-5 mm, 5-nerved (3 long, 2 short) adaxially shortly hairy at apex, margins ciliate. Lemma 4.5-6 mm, 5-nerved, centrally green, violet elsewhere, abundantly finely pubescent throughout, keel prickle-toothed above, margins ciliate, membranous above, apex recurved, shortly lobed and mucronate (0.05 mm or 0) becoming erose. Palea 4.5-5.2 mm, ≤ lemma, apex bifid, keels minutely stiff hairy. Callus 0.25 mm, short, blunt, glabrous or with a few prickle-teeth. Rachilla 1.5 mm, glabrous or with a few prickle-teeth at base; prolonged. Lodicules 0.5-1.0 mm, acutely lobed, tip ciliate. Anthers (a) male flowers: 2.75-3-3.75 mm, yellow or violet-suffused; (b) female flowers: 2-2.2 mm, white, pollenless. Gynoecium (a) male flowers: 0.8-1.0 mm; (b) female flowers: ovary 0.8-1.2 mm, glabrous; stigma-styles 2-3-3.5 mm, widely disposed, stigmatic hairs almost to base. Caryopsis not seen.