Grey-green or greyish purple, coarse erect tussocks, occasionally shortly rhizomatous; leaves much < culms; new shoots both intra- and extravaginal. Sheaths white or sometimes greyish, sometimes with few scattered fine hairs above; collar hairs 1-2- (3) mm long; ligule 0. l-0.4-(0.6) mm long; lamina to 35 cm long, flattish, becoming inrolled, to 3 mm wide sometimes with scattered hairs, margins sparsely scabrous. Culms stout, up to 1 m tall, glabrous, minutely scabrous below inflorescence. Panicle large, strict, up to 15 cm long, of many spikelets on ± rigid pedicels; rhachis and pedicels closely short-scabrous, often with longer hairs intermixed. Spikelets 5-6-(7)-flowered, awns included by or exserted from glumes. Glumes usually broad, purplemargined, lanceolate, subacute, (12)—15—17— (19) mm long, ± equal, both 7-nerved. Lemma 2.5- 3 mm long, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs very dense, upper row < lemma lobes and much overlapped by lower, glabrous elsewhere, occasional hairs centrally and on margins; lemma lobes (6.3)-7-9 mm long, narrowed to fine awn. Central awn (8.5)—10—14 mm long; column 1-2.5 mm long, < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.5—4.5 mm long, < upper lemma hairs, hairs numerous, long, between keels in lower 2/3, and on margins. Callus (0.8)—1—1.3 mm long, marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rhachilla c. 0.2 mm long. Anthers 0.8-1.2 and 1.7-2.1 mm long. Caryopsis 1.6-2 × 0.8 mm; embryo 0.7 mm long; hilum 0.5 mm long. Naturalised in New Zealand from Australia.

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