Rytidosperma richardsonii

Densely tufted perennial. Culms to 80 cm high. Leaves glabrous; blade folded or loosely inrolled, to 35 cm long and 3 mm wide. Panicle compact, lanceolate to ovate in outline, mostly 4–10 cm long. Spikelets often tinged purplish when young, 4–6-flowered; glumes subequal, rather broad, shortly acuminate, 10–15 mm long; lemma obovate to triangular in outline, 4–6 mm long, rather prominently longitudinally veined, densely and more or less evenly covered by hairs commencing c. 1 mm above the callus tuft, increasing slightly in length from lower to upper, the uppermost usually 4–5 mm long and inserted c. 1 mm below the sinus; lateral lobes erect, 4–7 mm long, membranous and rather broad near base, tapering rather abruptly into the 1–2 mm long setiform tips or the setae sometimes absent; central awn pale, exceeding lateral lobes by up to 4 mm, not or loosely once-twisted at base; palea broadly obovate, equal to or exceeding sinus by up to 1 mm. Flowers Nov.–Dec.