Tetrarrhena turfosa

Mat-forming, tufted or rhizomatous, ascending perennial, 0.2–1.3 m high. Leaves erect, smooth and glabrous; blade tightly involute, 2–7 cm long, 0.3–0.8 mm diam., terminating in a blunt, sometimes slightly swollen tip; ligule a ciliate rim less than 0.5 mm long, sometimes with a few marginal hairs to 1 mm long. Inflorescence an erect, spike-like raceme 1–3 cm long. Spikelets 3–10 per raceme, 4.8–6.8 mm long, subsessile, often purplish; glumes subequal, 1.1–2 mm long, smooth and glabrous; lower sterile lemma about two-thirds as long as upper, both oblong, blunt, hardly keeled, the 5–7 nerves prominently raised and scabrous; fertile lemma subequal to upper sterile lemma, dorsally keeled, uniformly scabrous, sometimes obscurely 5–7-nerved; palea about as long as lower lemma; stamens 4. Flowers mostly Nov.–Mar.