Neurachne alopecuroidea

Perennial, producing small tussocks from a short, stout rhizome. Culms erect, to 60 cm high. Leaves with scattered hairs or occasionally glabrous; blade flat or inrolled, (2–)4–10(–15) cm long and 1.5–4 mm wide, firm, with thickened pale, often tuberculate-hairy margins; ligule c. 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence a dense, silky, blue-grey, ovoid to cylindric raceme, 1–3 cm long and 1–1.5 cm wide. Spikelets subsessile, 8–12 mm long; lower glume 3–5-nerved, lanceolate, 6–11 mm long, bearded at least along the margin; upper glume prominently 9–11-nerved, as long as the spikelet, tapered to a hardened point, densely silky-hairy along margins, more sparsely so along nerves; lower floret with lemma 7-nerved, 5–7 mm long, ciliate, palea rudimentary to sub-equal to its lemma; upper floret bisexual, sub-equal to lower floret but thin-textured. Flowers Aug.–Dec.