Stoloniferous perennial, culms to 1 m high, plants often forming loose swards in or near water. Leaf-blades flat, to 45 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, prominently veined, glabrous or with sparse, scattered, coarse bristles, strongly scabrous; ligules firm, c. 1 mm long. Inflorescence to 20 cm long, usually enclosed at base by upper leaf-sheath, branchlets strongly flexuose. Spikelets 5–7.5 mm long, shortly pedicellate; lemma 5-nerved, hispid along keel and lateral nerves, smooth or scabrous elsewhere; palea 3-nerved, keeled, firmly held along the lateral nerves by narrowly incurved lemma margin, hispid along keel; anthers usually 3, c. 0.5 mm (cleistogamous florets) or c. 1.5 mm long (chasmogamouse florets) long. Flowers Feb.–Apr.
GipP, HSF. Also NSW. Presently known only from the verges of the Yarra River near Warrandyte and swamps near Yellingbo, but likely to become more widespread. A troublesome weed of irrigation channels in southern NSW.
Source:
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
