Aira elegantissima Schur

Culms 10–56 cm high; mid-culm internodes scabrous immediately below node. Leaves mostly basal; ligule 2–3.5 mm long; blade flat, inrolled, convolute or folded, 2–8 cm long, 0.3–1.3 mm wide, adaxially scabrous to puberulous. Panicles open, 3–13 cm long, purple or silvery; peduncle slightly scabrous; primary branches spreading. Spikelets 1.5–2.5 mm long; pedicel 2–9.2 mm long. Glumes exceeding florets, 1-veined; lower glume 1.5–2.1 mm long; upper glume 2–2.5 mm long, acute. Callus with a tuft of hairs on each side. Fertile florets all alike, or with lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma often unawned. Basal lemma 1.4–1.5 mm long, acute, entire (or bifid when awned), muticous or awned, papillose, scaberulous with minute hairs towards apex. Palea narrowly ovate; intercostal regions papillose. Upper lemma c. 1.6 mm long, ± acuminate, bifid, tapering to 2 short setae, papillose, scaberulous with minute hairs towards apex, awned; awn arising from c. 1/3 way up from base, 2–3 mm long. Caryopsis c. 1 mm long, shallowly grooved.

Grows in pasture, disturbed grassland, wasteland, roadsides or open woodland; often in drier sites on shallow, rocky soils.