# Manual of the New Zealand Flora/Cyperaceæ

Additions and Corrections
Order XCI. CYPERACEÆ.
Grassy or rush-like herbs, usually perennial. Stems solid or rarely slightly hollow, often trigonous, sometimes compressed or terete. Leaves alternate, mostly radical, few or many, sometimes wanting or reduced to sheathing scales; sheaths closed, not split to the base. Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual, minute, solitary and sessile in the axils of small imbricated bracts (glumes), which are aggregated into few- or many-flowered (rarely 1-flowered) spikelets. Spikelets either solitary and terminal, or arranged in spikes, racemes, panicles, or clusters. Glumes rigid or scarious or membranous, concave, distichous or imbricated all round, persistent or deciduous, 1 or 2 (rarely more) at the base of each spikelet empty. Perianth wanting or represented by few hypogynous bristles or scales. Stamens 1–3, rarely 4–6, hypogynous; filaments linear, flat, often elongating after flowering; anthers usually exserted from the spikelet and pendulous, linear, basifixed, 2-celled. Ovary entire, 1-celled, in Carex and its allies enclosed in a peculiar flask-shaped organ called the utricle or perigynium formed of 1 or 2 modified bracteoles; style short or long, 2–3-cleft, divisions stigraatie on the inner side; ovule solitary, basal, erect, anatropous. Fruit a small indehiscent nut (in Carex enclosed in the utricle), lenticular or compressed or more often trigonous. Seed erect; testa membranous; albumen farinaceous; embryo minute, at the very base of the albumen.
A very large order, found in all parts of the world, both temperate and tropical, and in almost all stations, but most abundant in marshes, or by the margins of lakes and rivers. It is closely allied to grasses, being chiefly dis​tinguished by the stiffer habit, solid and usually angled or compressed stems, entire leaf-sheaths, basifixed anthers, undivided (not plumose) stigmas, and by the position of the embryo. Genera 65; species estimated at 3400. Notwithstanding the extent of the order, it is of little economic importance. The herbage is too coarse and harsh, and too deficient in nutritive properties, to be serviceable as food for cattle; and the seed is useless. The tuberous roots of certain species of Scirpus and Cyperus contain starch, and have been used as food, while in others they are bitter, tonic, and stimulating, and have been employed in medicine. Many species are serviceable for paper-making, or in the fabrication of mats, baskets, &c. The paper of the ancients was manufactured from the well known Papyrus, a plant common along the Nile and in other parts of tropical Africa. Of the 14 genera found in New Zealand 9 are either cosmopolitan or very widely distributed; 2 (Carpha and Oreobolus) are confined to Australia and South America; Uncinia has a similar range, but extends northwards to the Sandwich Islands, Mexico, and the West Indies; the 2 remaining (Lepidosperma and Gahnia) are mainly Australian, but reach as far north as Malaya and China.
I have to express my indebtedness to Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., whose knowledge of the order is unrivalled, for his unwearied kindness in supplying me with information and critical notes respecting the New Zealand species. He has also, at considerable trouble to himself, furnished me with a list of the synonymy of the species, taken from the MSS. of the general work on the Cyperaceæ of the world, on which he has been engaged for some years past. His assistance has been of the greatest possible use.
Tribe Cypereæ.—Spikelets usually many-flowered, flat or compressed. Glumes distichous, imbricate, lower 1–2 empty. Flowers hermaphrodite or the upper 1–2 male by arrest. Hypogynoua bristles absent. :
| Spikelets small, 1- or rarely 2-flowered, clustered in a simple or lobed head. Style 2-fid | 1. Kyllinga. |
| Spikelets many-flowered; glumes falling away from the persistent rhachilla. Style 3-fid | 2. Cyperus. |
| Spikelets many-flowered; glumes persistent, the rhachilla finally coming away above the 2 lowest. Style 3-fid | 3. Mariscus. |
| Tribe Scirpeæ.—Spikelets usually many-flowered, terete. Glumes spirally arranged, lower 1–2 empty. Flowers hermaphrodite or the upper 1–2 male. Hypogynous bristles often present. ||
| Leafless. Spikelet solitary, terminal. Nut crowned by the persistent thickened base of the style. Hypogynous bristles present | 4. Eleocharis. |
| Leaves radical. Spikelets umbellate. Style bulbous at the base, usually deciduous. Hypogynous bristles wanting | 5. Fimbristylis. |
| Spikelets few or many, fascicled or umbelled. Style not thickened at the base, continuous with the nut. Hypogynous bristles present or wanting | 6. Scirpus. |
| Tribe Rhynchosporeæ.—Spikelets 1- or few-flowered, terete or compressed. Glumes spirally arranged, several (usually more than 2) of the lower ones empty. Hermaphrodite flowers 1 or 2; the remainder male or imperfect. ||
| Alpine, leafy at the base. Spikelets in a terminal corymb, compressed, pale, 1-flowered; glumes 4, distichous. Hypogynous bristles long, plumose | 7. Carpha. |
| Spikelets few-flowered, compressed; glumes several, distichous. Rhachilla often elongated and flexuose between the flowers | 8. Schœnos. ​ |
| Spikelets 1–7-flowered, lowest flower alone hermaphrodite; glumes not distichous. Stamens 3, rarely elongating. Hypogynous bristles wanting | 9. Cladium. |
| Spikelets 1–3-flowered, upper flower alone hermaphrodite. Stamens 3, rarely elongating. Hypogynous bristles present | 10. Lepidosperma. |
| Tall, harsh and grassy. Spikelets 1–3-flowered, upper flower alone hermaphrodite. Stamens 3–6, usually elongating in fruit and holding the nut. Hypogynous bristles wanting | 11. Gahnia. |
| Dwarf alpine plants forming dense cushions in bogs. Spikelets solitary or 2–3 together, 1-flowered; glumes 3. Hypogynous scales (perianth) 6, persistent | 12. Oreobolus. |
| Tribe Cariceæ.—Spikelets monœcious, the male and female flowers in the same or in distinct spikelets; rarely diœcious. Nuts enclosed in an entire or 2-fid inflated sac (utricle). ||
| Spikelet solitary, androgynous. Rhachilla produced beyond the utricle into a hooked bristle | 13. Uncinia. |
| Spikelet solitary, or more often clustered or spicate or panicled, androgynous or unisexual. Rhachilla not produced beyond the utricle | 14. Carex. |
1. KYLLINGA, Rottb.
Stems slender, simple, erect, leafy at the base. Spikelets small, numerous, compressed, 1–3-flowered, densely crowded in 1–3 ovoid or cylindric terminal heads or spikes subtended by. 2–6 unequal linear leaf-like bracts. Glumes 4–7, distichous; the two lowest small, empty; the next, or rarely the two next, hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing; the upper ones male or the uppermost smaller and empty; in fruit the rhachilla falls away above the two lowest glumes. Hypogynous scales wanting. Stamens 1–3. Style continuous with the ovary, not thickened at the base; branches 2, filiform. Nut laterally compressed, smooth.
A genus of about 40 species, widely spread through the warmer regions of both hemispheres, but not found in Europe.
1. K. brevifolia, Rottb. Desc. et Ic. t. i, f. 3.—Rhizome creeping, elongate. Stems numerous from the rhizome, slender, 4–12 in. high or more. Leaves flat, grassy, usually shorter than the stems, 1/10–1/6 in. broad. Bracts usually 3, spreading, similar to the leaves. Spikes solitary or rarely 2–3 together, broadly ovoid, greenish, ⅕–⅓ in. long. Spikelets about ⅛ in.; fertile flower usually solitary. Glume of fertile flower ovate, mucronate, eglandular, keeled; keel not winged above, 3-nerved; sides of glume with 3–4 striæ. Stamens 2. Nut ellipsoid, pale yellow-brown, about half as long as the glume.—C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 588. K. monocephala, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xi. (1879) 434 (not of Rottb.).
North Island: Auckland—From Mongonui and Ahipara northwards to the North Cape, W. T. Ball! T.F.C. December–February.
​Common in most warm countries, and possibly only naturalised in New Zealand. It is very closely allied to the equally abundant K. monocephala, to which I formerly referred it, but which can be distinguished by the glume of the fertile flower having the upper part of the keel winged or crested and more or less glandular.
2. CYPERUS, Linn.
Annual or more commonly perennial herbs. Stems erect, simple below the inflorescence. Leaves at the base of the stem, usually long, the lowest sometimes reduced to sheaths. Inflorescence umbellate or capitate, often large and compound; bracts at the base long, leaf-like, spreading. Spikelets oblong or linear, compressed; rhachilla persistent. Glumes usually many, distichous; the two lowest empty; four at least and generally many of the succeeding ones hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing, falling away from the rhachilla one by one, commencing with the lowest; the uppermost 1–3 sterile or empty. Stamens 2–3, rarely 1. Style continuous with the ovary, not thickened at the base; branches 3, filiform. Nut triquetrous or plano-convex, the flat face against the rhachilla, surface smooth.
A large genus of over 300 species, most abundant in the tropical and subtropical districts of both hemispheres, comparatively rare in temperate regions. The two New Zealand species are widely distributed; one of them is certainly a recent introduction, and possibly the other as well.
| Small, 1–3 in. high. Inflorescence of a single head; spikelets 1–3 | 1. C. tenellus. |
| Tall, 1–2 ft. high. Inflorescence in a compound umbel; spikelets very numerous | 2. C. vegetus. |
The tropical C. rotundus, Linn., easily recognised by the black ovoid tubers on the creeping stolons, and hence frequently known by the name of "nutgrass," has become naturalised in the vicinity of Auckland. It is a most pernicious weed.
1. C. tenellus, Linn. f. Suppl. 103.—A small densely tufted annual. Stems numerous, very slender, almost filiform, 1–3 in, high. Leaves few, much shorter than the stem, filiform. Spikelets 1–3 together, digitate, much flattened, oblong, obtuse, large for the size of the plant, ⅙–¼ in. long; bracts 2, setaceous, one erect and continuous with the stem, the other much smaller. Glumes 10–25, regularly distichous, ovate, obtuse or mucronate, boatshaped, conspicuously 5–9-nerved, varying in colour from almost white to red-brown. Stamens 1 or 2. Style-branches 3, linear. Nut rather more than half the length of the glume, elliptical, acutely trigonous, smooth.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 745; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 265; C. B. Clarke in Fl. Cap. vii. 164.
North Island: From the North Cape southwards to Taranaki and Hawke's Bay, abundant. Sea-level to 1500 ft. November–December.
A common South African plant, doubtfully indigenous in temperate Australia and New Zealand.
​2. C. vegetus, Willd. Sp. Plant. i. 283.—Roots fibrous. Stems 1–2 ft. high, rather stout, smooth, sharply 3-angled above. Leaves shorter than the stem, rather flaccid, ⅙–⅓ in. broad; margins smooth. Inflorescence a terminal compound umbel varying from 1½ to 6 in. diam.; rays 5–9, unequal, each terminated by a dense globose umbellule; bracts about 6, similar to the leaves, long and spreading, the lowest in large specimens sometimes 18 in. long. Spikelets very numerous, pale yellowish-green, much compressed, ⅓–¾ in. long, 12–40-flowered. Glumes distichous, boat-shaped, ovate, apiculate, 3-nerved, margins membranous. Stamen 1. Nut about ⅔ the length of the glume, obovoidtriquetrous, shortly rostrate. Style-branches 3, linear.—C. gracilis, Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iii. (1871) 210 (not of R. Br.). C. Buchanani, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) App. xli.
North Island: Auckland—Oruru and Oruaiti Valleys, near Mongonui, T.F.C. Wellington—Lower Hutt, Waiwetu, Wainuiomata, Greytown, Buchanan! Kirk! November–January.
The true home of this plant, as has been pointed out by Mr. C. B. Clarke (Journ. Bot. 1897, 71) is in temperate South America, and there can be no doubt that it exists only as an introduced species in New Zealand, as also in many localises in southern Europe, the Azores, Korth America, Tahiti, &c. I retain it in the Flora because it has been twice described as an indigenous species, and on account of the remarkable fact that wherever found it presents all the appearance of a true native, and would certainly be taken as such by any one unacquainted with its origin.
3. MARISCUS, Gaertn.
Stems erect, simple below the inflorescence, leafy at the base Inflorescence of the same forms as in Gyperus. Spikelets oblong or linear, compressed; rhachilla disarticulating above the two lowest empty glumes, and falling away in one piece, leaving a terminal rounded boss or knob. All other characters as in Cyperus.
Species about 180, found in all tropical and subtropical regions, but not extending into Europe. The single New Zealand species is endemic.
1. M. ustulatus, [Author:Charles Baron Clarke|C. B. Clarke]], MS.—Very robust, 2–4 ft. high. Stems smooth, striate, trigonous, ¼ in. diam. Leaves crowded at the base of the stem, long, keeled, coriaceous, spongy towards the base, ⅓–1 in. broad; margins and keel sharply and minutely serrulate. Inflorescence a large terminal umbel often more than 6 in. diam.; rays 6–10, each bearing an oblong spike 1–2 in. long of very numerous red-brown spikelets; bracts numerous, forming an involucre at the base of the umbel, very long and leafy, the lowest frequently over 2 ft. Spikelets linear-lanceolate, ⅓–1 in. long, 5–20-flowered. Glumes distichous, ovate-oblong, obtuse or mucronate, smooth and shining, grooved. Stamens 3. Nut linear-oblong, trigonous; style-branches 3.—Cyperus ustulatus, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 101, t. 17; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 270; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 268; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 297.
​North Island: Abundant in lowland districts throughout. South Island: Chiefly near the coast, extending as far south as Okarito (Hamilton) and northern Otago (Buchanan). Sea-level to 1500 ft. Toetoe-upoko-tangata; Toetoe-whatu-mami. November–January.
4. ELEOCHARIS, R. Br.
Stems simple, erect, without perfect leaves. Sheaths few. the uppermost cylindric, truncate or produced on one side into a short tooth. Inflorescence a single termmal many-flowered terete spikelet. Glumes many, imbricate all round the rhachis; the lowest 1 or 2 empty, shorter than the spikelet; many succeeding ones hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing; the uppermost male or sterile. Hypogynous bristles usually 6, but varymg from 3 to 8. rarely absent. Stamens 3 or fewer. Style swollen at the base; branches 3 or 2, linear. Nut obovoid, trigonous or plano-convex.
Species estimated at 115, distributed over the whole world, but most numerous in America. Of the 5 found in New Zealand, 2 are endemic, 2 extend to Australia, the remaining one is almost cosmopolitan.
A. Limnochloa. Stem stout, spikelet large, hardly wider than the stem. Glumes subrigid. :
| Stems stout, septate. Spikelet 1–2 in. long | 1. E. sphacelata. |
| B. Eleogenus. Stem slender. Spikelets small, broader than the stem. Glumes membranous. Style 2-fid. ||
| Stems short, 1–2½ in. Spikelet ⅙–¼ in. | 2. E. neo-zealandica. |
| C. Eu-Eleocharis. Stem slender. Spikelet small, broader than the stem Glumes membranous. Style 3-fid. ||
| Stems 2–6 in., filiform. Spikelets ⅛–⅕ in., compressed. Nut longitudinally ribbed and transversely striate | 3. E. acicularis. |
| Stems 4–18 in., rather stout. Leaf-sheath truncate with an erect mucro. Spikelet ¼–¾ in. Nut smooth | 4. E. acuta. |
| Stems 3–15 in., very slender. Leaf-sheath oblique, acute. Spikelet ⅛–¼ in. Nut smooth | 5. E. Cunninghamii |
1. E. sphacelata, R. Br. Prodr. 224.—Rhizome stout, creeping, stoloniferous. Stems stout, cylindrical, 1–3 ft. high, ⅓ in. diam., hollow, transversely septate; sheaths long, membranous. Spikelet very large, 1–2 in. long, ⅓ in. diam., solitary, terminal, cylindrical, pale-coloured, tip acute. Glumes numerous, very closely imbricate, obovate-oblong, obtuse, 1-nerved, membranous, pale with a brown line just inside the scarious margin. Hypogynous bristles 6–9, usually exceeding the nut, retrorsely scabrid. Style very long, branches 3. Nut broadly obovoid, compressed, minutely granular, pale, crowned with the persistent dark-brown conic swollen base of the stvle.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 277; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 269; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 300; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 292 (Heleocharis).
North Island: Wet swamps and margins of lakes, not uncommon. South Island: Nelson—Takaka, Kirk! Canterbury, Armstrong. Westland—Okarito, A. Hamilton! Southland—Bluff Island, Lyall. Stewart Island: Head of Paterson's Inlet, Petrie! Sea-level to 1500 ft. December—February.
An abundant Australian and Tasmanian plant, and very closely allied to the widely diffused E. plantaginea, R. Br.
2. E. neo-zealandica, C. B. Clarke ex T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. (1894) 260.—Rhizome slender, creeping, 1—3 in. long. Stems shore, 1—2½ in. high, striate; sheath membranous, mouth oblique. Spikelet solitary, terminal, ⅙–¼ in. long, broadly ovoid, much wider than the stem. 4–8-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, concave, obtuse, red-brown with a paler centre and scarious margins. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3. Style with 2 linear arms and a very small swollen base. Nuc obovoid, biconvex, smooth, pale-brown.
North Island: Auckland—Sand-dunes between Cape Maria van Diemen and Ahipara, T.F.C. South Island: Nelson—Cape Farewell, Kirk!
A curious little species, belonging to the section Eleogenus, characterized by the spikelets broader than the slender stems, membranous glumes, and 2-fid style. Mr. Clarke remarks that it approaches the section Isolepis of Scirpus in the absence of hypogynous bristles and the reduced size of the swollen base of the style.
3. E. acicularis, R. Br. Prodr. 224.—Rhizome very slender, almost filiform, creeping, stoloniferous. Stems numerous, tufted, extremely slender, capillary, 2–6 in. high; sheaths membranous, acute. Spikelet small, slender, ⅛–⅕ in. long, compressed, pale to dark-brown. 3–6-flowered. Glumes ovate, obtuse, membranous, brown with a greenish or pale centre and narrow scarious margins. Hypogynous bristles 2–4, short, deciduous. Style-branches 3; style-base small, conic, depressed. Nut small, pale, obovoid-oblong, longitudinally ribbed and with minute transverse striae between the ribs.—Kunth, Enum. ii. 141; C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 628.
South Island: Otago—Lake Te Anau, Petrie! (No. 1647).
I have seen no specimens but Mr. Petrie's, which are in young flower only. Mr. C. B. Clarke, who has examined them, states that he is satisfied that they belong to the small group consisting of E. acicularis and a few very closely allied species, and most probably to E. acicularis itself, which is an almost cosmopolitan plant, although not yet recorded from Australia.
4. E. acuta, R. Br. Prodr. 224.—Rhizome creeping. Stems numerous, tufted, 4–18 in. high, rather stout or slender, striate; sheath closely appressed to the stem, with a horizontally truncate mouth, the margin of which is thickened and usually dark- coloured, with a small erect mucro or rudimentary lamina on one side. ​Spikelet variable in length, ¼–¾ in. or more, linear-oblong, cylindric, obtuse or subacute, mauy-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse, membranous, concave, brown with usually a pale line down the centre; margins broad, scarious. Hypogynous scales 4–8, exceeding the nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut broadly obovoid, biconvex, smooth or very minutely pitted, brown, crowned by the small conic style-base.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 745; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 294 (Heleocharis). E. gracilis (excl. var. b and y), Hook.f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 270; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 301 (not of R. Br.). E. ambigua, Kirk ex Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. vi. (1874) 225.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Abundant in wet places from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–March.
Also plentiful in Australia, Tasmania, and Norfolk Island.
5. E. Cunninghamii, Boeck. in Flora, xii. (1858) 412 (Heleocharis).—Rhizome long, creeping, scaly, stout or slender, dark redbrown or almost black. Stems many from the rhizome, variable in length. 3–15 in., very slender, sometimes almost filiform, striate; sheath membranous, with a thin oblique mouth. Spikelet small, short, ⅛—¼ in. long, broadly ovoid, subacute, 5–20-flowered. Glumes broadly oblong, obtuse, membranous, usually pale but often stained with red-brown; margins broad, scarious. Hypogynous bristles 4–8, exceeding the nut. Style-branches 3. Nut broadly obovoid, plano-convex or obscurely trigonous, smooth, pale yellowish-brown, crowned by the small pyramidal style-base, which is rather broader than the top of the nut.—Linnæa, xxxvi. (1869–70) 427. E. gracilis, var. gracillima and var. radicans, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 270; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 301 (not of R. Br.). E. gracillima, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 745. Heleocharis Hookeri, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxvi. (1869–70) 430. Isolepis acicularis, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 103 (not of R. Br.).
North and South Islands.—Wet places from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, but often local in the South Island. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–March.
Hooker's two varieties gracillima and radicans, originally published as forms of the Australian E. gracilis, only differ in size and degree of development, radicans being clearly a depauperated state. In many localities they can be seen to merge into one another. Boeckeler, probably working upon scanty herbarium material, treated them as distinct species, publishing his E. Cunninghamii, which answers to var. radicans, in 1858, and E. Hookeri, which is equivalent to var. gracillima, in 1869. E. Cunninghamii has several years' priority over Hooker's gracillima, which was not published until 1867, but it is unfortunate that it was not originally applied to what must be considered the type of the species, Hooker's var. gracillima.
5. FIMBRISTYLIS, Vahl.
Annual or perennial tufted herbs, usually of small or medium size. Leaves from near the base of the stem, grassy or filiform. Inflorescence a terminal simple or compound umbel, or reduced to a ​solitary terminal spikelet. Spikelets many-flowered. Glumes imbricate all round or rarely distichous; the lowest 1–2 empty; the remainder all hermaphrodite, or the uppermost male or sterile. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3, more rarely 2 or 1. Style often hairy or ciliate, with a bulbiform or conic base, deciduous; style-branches 3 or 2. Not obovoid, trigonous or biconvex, often narrowed at the base.
A large genus of about 130 species, found in all tropical or warm-temperate regions.
1. F. squarrosa, Vahl. Enum. ii. 289.—A slender more or less pubescent annual 2–8 in. high; stems numerous, tufted, striate. Leaves linear, setaceous, shorter than the steins. Umbel terminal, usually compound, 1–3 in. diam.; rays slender, unequal, 1–2 in. long; bracts 3–4, similar to the leaves, often exceeding the umbel. Spikelets numerous, on slender pedicels, ⅙–⅕ in. long, narrow-ovoid, brownish. Glumes elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, keeled, 3-nerved, more or less squarrose. Stamens 1 or 2. Style pubescent, the bulbiform base with numerous long hairs which hang over the nut and are closely appressed to it; style-branches 2. Nut about 1 the length of the glume, obovoid-oblong, biconvex, pale-yellow, smooth.
Var. velata, C. B. Clarke.—Nerves of the glumes almost fused into a solid keel, the excurrent tip not nearly so squarrose.—F. velata, R. Br. Prodr. 227; Hook, f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i, 272; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 309. F. dichotoma, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 803 (not of Vahl).
North Island: Auckland—Bay of Islands, Colenso! near Auckland(?), Sinclair; Port Waikato, Kirk! hot springs at Ohinemutu, Lake Rotorua, Kirk! T.F.C.; Lake Rotomahana, Filhol. Sea-level to 1000 ft. December–February.
The typical form of the species is found in most warm countries; the var. velata is restricted to eastern Australia and New Zealand.
6. SCIRPUS, Linn.
Glabrous annual or perennial herbs of very various habit, small and tufted, or tall and stout with a creeping rhizome. Leaves usually from near the base of the stem, long or short, sometimes reduced to appressed sheaths. Spikelets usually many-flowered, solitary or fascicled, or more numerous and umbellate or panicled. Glumes imbricate all round the rhachis; lowest 1 or 2 empty; several or many succeeding ones hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing; the uppermost sterile. Hypogynous bristles 3–8 or wanting. Stamens 3 or fewer. Style long or short, passing gradually into the nut; style-branches 2 or 3. Nut obovoid or broadly oblong, trigonous or plano-convex, sessile or nearly so.
A somewhat heterogeneous aspemblage of about 130 species, found in all parts of the world, both tropical and temperate. Of the 13 species found in New Zealand, 4 are generally disitributed in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; 6 extend to Australia, 3 of them reaching South Africa as well; 1 is found in Tristan d'Acunha; the remaining 2 are endemic. The student will find it a difficult and perplexing task to discriminate between several of the species of the first section.
Section I. Isolepis. Usually small and slender plants. Spikelets in clusters or solitary. Hypogynous bristles wanting. :
| * Spikelets solitary or 2–3 in a head. |
| Stems long, slender, often much branched and floating. Spikelet solitary. Style-branches 2. Nut biconvex, white | 1. S. lenticularis. |
| Stems very short, ⅛–½ in. long, leafy. Spikelets usually solitary, concealed by the leaves. Style-branches 2. Nut biconvex, brown | 2. S. basilaris. |
| Stems 1–6 in., branched below. Leaves several, equalling the stems. Spikelets 1-2. Style-branches 3. Nut obovoid, obtusely trigonous, white | 3. S. aucklandicus. |
| Stems 2–6 in. Leaves 1–2, shorter than the stems. Spikelets 1–3. Style-branches 3. Nut obovoid, obtusely trigonous | 4. S. cernuus. |
| ** Spikelets usually more than 3 in a cluster (sometimes reduced to 1 in small states of S. antarcticus and S. inundatus). ||
| Stems ½–6 in. Leaves 1–3, often rigid and cartilaginous. Spikelets 1–9; glumes rigid, keeled, grooved on the sides. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut acutely trigonous, yellow to dark-brown | 5. S. antarcticus. |
| Stems 2–12 in., usually slender and flaccid. Leaves 1–2 or wanting. Heads often proliferous; spikelets 2–15. Stamen 1. Style branches 3. Nut acutely trigonous, white | 6. S. inundatus. |
| Stems 8-16 in., rather stout, leafless. Spikelets 6–20, short, oblong. Stamen usually 1. Style-branches 2. Nut plano-convex, smooth and polished, pale | 7. S. sulcatus. |
| Stems 1–2 ft., rather stout, flaccid, leafless. Spikelets 10–30, long, linear. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut acutely trigonous | 8. S. prolifer. |
| Stems 1–3 ft., stout, rigid, erect, leafless. Spikelets numerous, short, ovoid, crowded. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut obtusely trigonous, brown | 9. S. nodosus. |
| Section II. Desmoschœnus. Tall, harsh, rigid and coriaceous. Spikelets numerous, spirally arranged around the upper part of the stem. Hypogynous bristles wanting. ||
| Rhizome long. Stems 1–3 ft. Leaves numerous, subsquarrose | 10. S. frondosus. |
| Section III. Eu-Scirpus. Usually large. Stem leafy at the base or leaves wanting. Spikelets usually panicled or umbelled, rarely in heads or solitary. Hypogynous bristles present. ||
| Stems acutely trigonous, 1–2 ft. high. Leaves 1–4, trigonous, shorter than the stem. Spikelets few, crowded into a small head | 11. S. americanus. ​ |
| Stems terete, spongy, leafless, 2–6 ft. high. Spikelets in a broad panicle or umbel 2–4 in. diam. | 12. S. lacustris. |
| Stems acutely trigonous, 1–5 ft. high. Leaves longer than the stems, broad, flat. Spikelets in a terminal umbel; involucral bracts long, leafy | 13. S. maritimus. |
1. S. lenticularis, Poir. Encyc. Suppl. v. 103.—Stems slender, in very wet places 6–18 in. long, elongated and much branched, putting out a small tuft of leaves at each node, often forming large floating masses; in drier situations shorter and stouter, much more sparingly branched, 2–6 in. high. Leaves 1–3 in. long, filiform in floating specimens, stouter in terrestrial ones. Peduncles shorter or longer than the leaves, slender, usually 1 from each tuft of leaves, each bearing a single terminal spikelet. Spikelets variable in size, ⅛–¼ in. long, oblong or oblong-ovoid, obtuse, pale-green; bract (lowest glume) usually longer than the spikelet. Glumes ovate, acute, concave but scarcely keeled, green, sometimes stamed with chestnut-brown. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 2 or 3. Style-branches 2. Nut three-quarters the length of the glume, obovoid, biconvex, tipped by a minute point, slightly narrowed at the base, smooth, pale.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 826. S. fluitans var. terrestris, Benth. l.c. 325. S. crassiusculus, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 300 (not of Hook. f.). Isolepis lenticularis, R. Br. Prodr. 222; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 86, t. 145d. Isolepis fluitans, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iii. (1871) 166 (not of R. Br.).
North Island: Auckland—North Cape Peninsula, T.F.C; Waikato River, Lakes Whangape, Waikare, and Waihi, Kirk! T.F.C.; Lake Taupo, Kirk! swamps near the base of Ruapehu, Berggren! H. Tryon! A. Hamilton! Petrie! Sea-level to 2500 ft. December–March.
Also in eastern Australia and Tasmania, and very closely allied to the widely spread S. fluitans, L.
2. S. basilaris, C. B. Clarke, MS.—A dwarf species forming dense tufts 1–3 in. diam. Stems very short, ⅛–½ in. long, much branched at the base, leafy. Leaves far overtopping the stems, ½–1½ in. long, sheathing at the base, semiterete above, channelled in front, convex at the back, tip obtuse. Spikelets terminal, solitary or rarely 2 together, concealed amongst the leaves and sometimes almost radical, 1/10–1/6 in. long, ovoid, obtuse, pale-green; bract long, leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse, with broad white membranous margins, and a stout green midrib which is usually produced into a thick excurrent tip. Stamens 2. Style-branches 2. Nut orbicular-obovoid, not angled nor trigonous, slightly compressed, obtuse, smooth but not polished, minutely dotted, lighter dark-brown.—Isolepis basilaris, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 302. I. novæ- zealandiæ, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxi. (1889) 102.
North Island: Hawke's Bay—Mud-banks by the Ngaruroro River, Colenso! Kirk! Petrie! South Island: Westland—Jackson's, Teremakau River, Petrie! Otago—Not uncommon in the middle portion of tbe Clutha Valley, Roxburgh, Beaumont, Spear-grass Flat, Petrie! Pomahaka, Kirk! Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–March.
A curious little plant, in its usual state easily distinguished by the very short stems with the spikelets concealed by the leaves. But some forms have the stems more developed, and are then easily taken for small varieties of S. aucklandicus, which, however, has a very different nut.
3. S. aucklandicus, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxvi. (1869–70) 491.—Forming compact grassy patches 2–6 in. diam. or more. Stems numerous, densely crowded, much branched at the base, stout or slender, striate, leafy at the base, 1–6 in. high. Leaves 2–6, equalling or longer than the stems, stout or slender, usually more or less coriaceous and rigid but sometimes almost flaccid, semiterete, convex on the back, grooved in front, tips obtuse. Spikelet solitary or rarely 2, small, 1/12–1/8 in. long, broadly ovoid, varying in colour from dark chestnut-brown to pale whitish-green; bract very long, leafy, obtuse at the tip. Glumes few, ovate, obtuse, concave, often with a thick excurrent keel, very variable in colour. Stamens 3 or 2. Style-branches 3. Nut elliptic-ovoid, compressed, trigonous with the angles rounded, white or pale-yellow, smooth but not polished.—Isolepis aucklandica, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 88, t. 50; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 302. Isolepis cartilaginea var. rigida, Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) n. viii. 23. I. alpina, Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 86 (in part).
Var. subcucullata, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Much more slender and diffuse. Stems weak, almost filiform; spikelet pale, solitary, 3–6-fiowered. Glumes slightly hooded at the tip.—Isolepis subcucullata, Berggren l.c. 22, t. 5, f. 16–20.
North Island: Ruahine Mountains, Colenso! Rangipo Desert, Petrie! Ruapehu, Rev. F. H. Spencer. South Island: Not uncommon in mountain-swamps throughout. Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Plentiful in moist places, descending to sea-level. December–March.
A variable plant. The typical state can be recognised without much difficulty by the dense leafy habit, the leaves frequently overtopping the stems, by the small usually solitary spikelets, and pale elliptic-ovoid nut. But lowland states, with a more slender and less leafy habit, are difficult to separate from S. cernuus. Other forms approach very closely to S. antarcticus. According to Mr C. B. Clarke, the species is also found in Tasmania and Amsterdam Island.
4. S. cernuus, Vahl. Enum. ii. 245.—Stems densely tufted, very slender, quite glabrous, 2–6 in. high, rarely more. Leaves setaceous, 1–3 near the base of the stem and shorter than it. Spikelets solitary or 2–3 together, ovoid or oblong-ovoid, 1/10–1/8 in. long: bract variable in length, usually exceeding the spikelets, continuous with the stem so that the spikelets appear to be lateral. Glumes 6–15, broadly ovate, concave or obscurely keeled, obtuse or with a short ​point, green or chestnut-brown. Stamens 3, rarely 2 or 1. Style-branches 3, long, linear. Nut about half the length of the glume, trigonous, obovoid, obtuse, minutely apiculate, not longitudinally ribbed, the surface appearing to be minutely reticulate from the numerous subquadrate cells.—S. Savii, Sebast. and Mauri, Prodr. Fl. Rom. 22. S. riparius, Poir. Encycl. Suppl. v. 103; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 327. Isolepis riparia, R. Br. Prodr. 222; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 89, t. 145c; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 302. I. setacea, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 271, in part (not of R. Br.). I. setosa, Raoul, Choix, 40.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–February.
Nearly cosmopolitan, being found in all temperate and tropical countries except south-eastern Asia. In New Zealand there are two principal forms: one, which is usually littoral, has the stems rather stiff, the spikelets usually solitary and often chestnut-brown, and the nut broadly obovoid; the other is more slender, the spikelets are paler, and the nut much smaller, more elliptical, and more acutely trigonous.
5. S. antarcticus, Linn. Mant. ii. 181.—Densely tufted, very variable in size, sometimes ½–1½ in. high, stout, rigid, cartilaginous; at other times taller and more slender, 3–6 in. high or more. Leaves 1 or several at the base of ihe stem and shorter than it, obtuse at the tip, rigid and coriaceous in the smaller forms, softer and more grassy in the larger ones. Heads solitary, terminal, of 1–4 spikelets in the small stout forms, of 3–9 in the larger ones; bracts ¼–1 in. long, usually far exceeding the head. Spikelets rather stout, ovoid-oblong, ⅛–⅕ in. long, many-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, boatshaped with a prominent keel, obtuse or the keel produced into a short point, often rigid and coriaceous, pale whitish-yellow with a conspicuous dark chestnut-brown spot; sides broad, marked with prominent curved lines; back often curved. Hypogynous scales wanting. Stamens 3 or 2, rarely 1. Style-branches 3. Nut rather more than half as long as the glume, elliptic-ovoid, trigonous, acute, minutely punctate, white to yellow, sometimes ultimately almost black.—C. B. Clarke in Fl. Cap. vii. 223. S. cartilagineus, Poir. Encycl. Suppl. v. 103; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 328. S. ebenocarpus, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 224. Isolepis cartilaginea, R. Br. Prodr. 222; Hook f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 271; Fl. Tasm. ii. 88, t. 145; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 302.
North Island: Hawke's Bay—Colenso! A. Hamilton! Wellington—Karioi, Kaiwarawara, Kirk! South Island: Nelson—Cape Farewell, Kirk! Canterbury—Burnham, Kirk! Springfield, T.F.C. Otago—Catlin's River, Petrie! Lake Wakatipu, Kirk! Bluff Hill, Kirk! Stewart Island: Port Pegasus, Petrie! Kirk! Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–March.
Also in extratropical Australia, South Africa, and St. Helena.
​6. S. inundatus, Poir. Encycl. Suppl. v. 103.—Very variable in size and habit of growth. Stems 2–12 in. high, often small, slender and filiform, at other times stouter and taller, and resembhng small states of S. sulcatus and S. prolifer. Leaves 1 or rarely 2 at the base of the stem, or reduced to a short and broad sheath. Heads solitary, terminal, of 2–15 crowded spikelets, often proliferous and putting out 1 or several short or long branches ending in a smaller head of spikelets; bract very variable in length. Spikelets 1/10–1/4 in. long, ovate or ovate-oblong, subacute, pale or dark chestnut-brown, many-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, concave or keeled at the back, obtuse or subacute, the sides usually more or less stained or striate with dark red-brown, the keel usually pale. Stamen 1. Style-branches 3, long, hnear. Nut about half the length of the glume, oblong-obovoid, equally and conspicuously trigonous, with a small conical point, not longitudinally ribbed, white, smooth but not polished.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 329. S. reticularis, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 277. Isolepis inundata, R. Br. Prodr. 222. I. prolifer, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 301; Fl. Tasm. ii. 87, t. 144 (not of R. Br.). I. setacea, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 271, in part (not of B. Br.).
Var. major.—Stems tall and stout, 5–12 in. high, usually leafless. Spikelets more numerous, 6–15, densely compacted. Glumes obtuse. Approaches small forms of S. sulcatus, but is at once distinguished by the smaller acutely trigonous nut.
Var. gracillima.—Stems slender, often filiform, 2–6 in. long. Spikelets 2–6, flattened. Glumes often subacute.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–March.
As defined above, this varies so much in habit and other respects as to give rise to the suspicion that more species than one are included in it; but I have failed to find valid distinguishing characters. It extends through Australia to the Malay Archipelago, and is also abundant in temperate South America.
7. S. sulcatus, Thouars, Esquisse Fl. Trist. 36, t. 7; var. distigmatosa, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Stems numerous, tufted, 8-16 in. high, stout, grooved when dry, leafless except a large purple or purplish-black sheath at the base. Heads solitary, terminal, of 6–20 densely packed spikelets, often proliferous and emitting 1 or several branches ending in a smaller head of spikelets; bract variable in length. Spikelets rather short, ⅛–¼ long, oblong, obtuse, many-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse, concave, dark chestnut-brown with a green keel and pale margins. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens usually 1. Style-branches 2, rarely 3, long, linear. Nut about half the length of the glume, obovoid, plano-convex, the convex side not keeled, smooth and polished, shining, white or pale yellowish-white.—Isolepis prolifer, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 271, for the most part (not of B. Br., nor of Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 301).
North and South Islands: Apparently common: Auckland—Hokianga, Berggren; Whangarei, H. Carse! vicinity of Auckland, Petrie! T.F.C.; Rotorua, Cartwright, Petrie! T.F.C.; Taupo, Kirk! Hawke's Bay— Norsewood, Colenso! Wellington—Murimotu, Petrie! Canterbury—Styx River, Petrie! Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–March.
For the identification of this plant with the Tristan d'Acunha S. sulcatus I am indebted to Mr. C. B. Clarke, who, however, maintains it as a distinct variety, characterized by the usually 2-fid style and plano-convex nut not keeled on the convex face. Large stout forms of S. inundatus approach it very closely, but in fruit are easily distinguished by the 3-fid style and acutely trigonous nut. S. prolifer, which has precisely the same habit of growth, can always be separated by the long linear spikelets, 3 stamens, and small acutely trigonous nut.
8. S. prolifer, Rottb. Descr. et Ic. 55, t. 17, f. 2.—Stems numerous, tufted, 1–2 ft. high or more, rather stout, striate when dry, leafless except a large purplish or purplish-black sheath at the base. Heads large, ½–1 in. diam., terminal, solitary, of very many (10–30) densely crowded spikelets, often proliferous and putting out 1 or several usually long branches terminating in a much smaller head of spikelets; bract shorter than the head, obtuse. Spikelets long and narrow, ⅕–½ in. long, linear or linear-oblong, cylindrical, obtuse, many-flowered. Glumes ovate, obtuse, concave, chestnutbrown with a paler keel and margins. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3, long, linear. Nut rather small, less than half the length of the glume, elliptic-ovoid, acute, acutely trigonous, smooth, pale yellowish-brown or almost white.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 330. Isolepis prolifer, R. Br. Prodr. 223. I. globosa, Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iii. (1871) 211.
North Island: Auckland—Bay of Islands, Kirk! Wellington—Karori, Evans Bay, and other localities in the vicinity of the City of Wellington, Buchanan! Kirk! Petrie! Wairarapa, Kirk! November–March.
Also in New South Wales, and abundant in South Africa. Easily separated from S. sulcatus and large states of S. inundatus by the very numerous long and narrow spikelets, and flowers with 3 stamens.
9. S. nodosus, Rottb. Descr. et Ic. 52, t. 8, f. 3.—Rhizome short, stout, woody, creeping, ¼ in. diam. or more. Stems very numerous, closely packed, 1–3 ft. high, erect, rigid, terete or slightly compressed. Leaves wanting except 2 or 3 sheathing scales at the base of the stems. Head solitary, globose, brown, ⅓–⅔ in. diam., of very numerous densely crowded spikelets; bract ½–1½ in. long, rigid, erect, continuous with the stem, so that the head appears lateral. Spikelets ovoid, ⅕–⅙ in. long, many-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse or obscurely mucronate, concave. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3, linear. Nut less than ½ the length of the glume, obovoid, obtusely trigonous, the flat face next the glume, pale-brown, smooth and polished.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 331. Isolepis nodosa, R. Br. ​Prodr. 221; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 104; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 272; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 270; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 301.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–February.
Also found in Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, temperate Australia, extratropieal South Africa, St. Helena and Amsterdam Islands, and temperate South America.
10. S. frondosus, Banks and Sol. ex Boeck. in Flora, lxi. (1878) 141.—Stout, rigid, harsh, yellow-green, 2–3 ft. high. Rhizome thick, woody, creeping, often many feet in length. Stems many along the rhizome, stout, erect, obtusely trigonous, leafy at the base. Leaves very numerous, spreading, often curved, rigidly coriaceous, channelled above, keeled beneath, gradually narrowed into long trigonous points, at the base expanded into broad membranous sheaths; margins and keel sharply denticulate. Inflorescence 3–9 in. long or more, of linear clusters of densely crowded sessile spikelets arranged in a spiral manner around the upper part of the stem, each cluster subtended by a rigid linear bract similar to the leaves. Spikelets red-brown, almost globose, about ⅛ in. long, many-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse, concave, shining, striate. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3; anthers with a long awn. Style-branches 3. Nut broadly obovoid, compressed, quite smooth.—Isolepis spiralis, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 105, t. 19; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 274; Raoul, Choix, 40. Desmoschœnus spiralis, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 272; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 303. Anthophyllum Urvillei, Steud. Cyp. 160.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Abundant on sand-dunes from the North Cape to Otago. Pingao. November–February.
The leaves were formerly used by the Maoris for making kits, and occasionally for cloaks, which were said to be very durable.
11. S. americanus, Pers. Syn. i. 68.—Rhizome creeping. Stems rather slender, 1–2 ft. high, acutely trigonous. Leaves 1–4, always shorter than the stem; sheaths long. Head small, of 1–4 closely compacted sessile spikelets; bract 1–2 in. long, erect, angular, continuous with the stem so that the head appears lateral. Spikelets broadly ovoid, ¼–⅓ in. long, dark-brown, many-fiowered. Glumes broadly ovate, membranous, concave, tip emarginate with usually a short awn in the notch, margins scarious above. Hypogynous bristles 4–6, shorter than the nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 2–3. Nut rather large, ⅔ the length of the glume, obovoid, planoconvex, pale-brown, smooth.—S. pungens, Vahl. Enum. ii. 255; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 333. S. triqueter, R. Br. Prodr. 223; Hook, f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 269; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 300 (not of Linn.). S. novæ-zealandiæ, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 277.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Brackish-water swamps from Hokianga to Foveaux Strait, but often local. Inland at Roxburgh, Otago, Petrie! November–February.
Not uncommon in temperate Australia and Tasmania, North and South America, and southern Europe.
12. S. lacustris, Linn. Sp. Plant. 48.—Rhizome stout, creeping, with numerous perpendicular rootlets. Stems 2–6 ft. high, sometimes almost as thick as the finger, terete, spongy, glaucous. Leaves wanting, or the uppermost sheath with a very short flat lamina. Inflorescence a terminal simple or compound cymose umbel 2–4 in. across; rays few, stout, irregular; bract shorter than the umbel, continuous with the stem. Spikelets numerous, ovoid or oblong, ⅓ in. long, brownish, many-flowered. Glumes broadly ovate, membranous, concave, notched at the tip with a small point in the notch, margins fringed. Hypogynous bristles 5–6, linear, retrorsely scabrid, usually equalling the nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3 or 2. Nut more than half as long as the glume, obovoid, compressed, plano-convex, pale-brown, smooth.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 103; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 275; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 269; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 300; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 333.
North and South Islands: Margins of lakes and ponds from the North Cape southwards to the north of Otago and Okarito, common. Sea-level to 1500 ft. November–February.
Generally distributed in all temperate and warm countries, except South America.
13. S. maritimus, Linn. Sp. Plant. 74.—Rhizome woody, creeping, the nodes often dilated into hard tubers. Stems stout, sharply triangular, 1–3 ft. high or more. Leaves from near the base of the stem and often exceeding it, broad, flat, grassy. Inflorescence an irregular terminal umbel of few unequal rays, often contracted into a compact cluster; bracts 3–4, 3–9 in. long, similar to the leaves. Spikelets ½–¾ in. long, sessile or peduncled, ovoid or cylindric, brown, many-flowered. Glumes ovate, membranous, 2-lobed at the tip with a short intermediate awn, usually pubescent towards the tip. Hypogynous bristles 3–6, shorter than the nut, retrorsely scabrid. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3 or 2, long, linear. Nut less than one-half the length of the glume, broadly obovoid, compressed, flat on one side, convex or obtusely angled on the other, smooth and polished, brown when fully ripe.—Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 269; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 300.
Var. fluviatilis, Torr. in Ann. Lyceum New York, iii. (1836) 324.—Taller and stouter, 3–6 ft. high. Leaves broader, ½ in. diam. or more; bracts longer. Umbel larger, more often compound; rays 3–9. Spikelets large, pale-brown. Style-branches 3. Nut narrower, oblong-obovoid, trigonous, conspicuously beaked, white or pale-brown, opaque, polished.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 335. S. fluviatilis, Asa Gray, Man. Bot. U.S. 500.
​Var. macrostachya, Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer. v. 32.—Umbels simple or compound. Spikelets large, sometimes over 1 in. long. Style-branches almost always 2. Nut large, broadly obovoid, flat on one side and obscurely angled on the other, white or pale-brown, opaque, not polished.—Asa Gray, Man. Bot. U.S. 500.
North and South Islands: The two varieties not uncommon in brackish-water swamps and on the banks of lakes and streams from the North Cape to Otago Harbour. November–February.
In the North Island var. fluviatilis extends inland along most of the larger rivers, ascending the Waikato as far as Lake Taupo. Var. macrostachya seems to be chiefly found in brackish-water swamps. Both varieties are abundant in North America, and also in Australia and Tasmania. According to Mr. C. B. Clarke, the typical form of the species has not yet been observed in either Australia or New Zealand.
7. CARPHA, R. Br.
Perennial herbs. Leaves crowded at the base of the stem, usually shorter than it. Spikelets numerous, narrow, 1-flowered, arranged in a terminal corymb or panicle, sometimes contracted into a more or less dense head. Glumes usually 4, distichous; the 2 lowest small, empty; the third large, also empty; the uppermost about the same size, with a smgle hermaphrodite flower in its axil. Hypogynous bristles 6, plumose, much enlarged in fruit and exceeding the glumes. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut oblong, 3-angled, narrowed above into the persistent and hardened base of the style.
In addition to the New Zealand species, which is also found in Tasmania, Victoria, and on the mountains of New Guinea, there is another closely allied one in Chili and Fuegia.
1. C. alpina, R. Br. Prodr. 230.—A tufted grass-like herb 3–12 in. high. Leaves usually shorter than the stems, numerous, narrow-linear, rigid, obtuse at the tip, flat or concave, grooved, dilated at the base into broad membranous sheaths. Spikelets ⅓–½ in. long, lanceolate, compressed, arranged in a corymbose manner at the top of the stem, in small specimens crowded into a head. Bracts leafy, usually exceeding the inflorescence. Glumes rigidly membranous, linear-oblong, pale, shining, concave. Hypogynous bristles very large, in the fruiting stage exceeding the glumes, conspicuously plumose for their whole length. Nut narrow-oblong, prismatic, tipped by the long hardened base of the style.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 273; Fl. Tasm. ii. 84; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 299; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 381, and in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 1216.
North Island: Mountain districts from Moehau (Cape Colville) and the East Cape southwards. South Island, Stewart Island: Abundant in hilly and mountain districts throughout. Auckland Islands: Carnley Harbour, Kirk! Usually from 2500 to 5000 ft., but descends to sea-level in Stewart Island. December–February.
8. SCHŒNUS, Linn.
Usually perennial herbs, of very various habit, stout, erect and rush-like, or slender and diffuse, rarely creeping. Leaves near the base of the stem or cauline, sometimes reduced to sheathing scales. Spikelets compressed, few-flowered, panicled or capitate or fascicled. Glumes more or less distichous, 3 or more outer ones empty, 1–4 succeeding ones hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing, uppermost male or empty; rhachilla elongated and flexuose between the flowering glumes, with the flowers seated in the alternate notches. Hypogynous bristles present or wanting. Stamens usually 3, rarely fewer or 4–6. Style slender, sometimes slightly thickened near the base; style-branches 3. Nut obovoid, ovoid, or oblong, trigonous.
A large genus of about 60 species, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, but a few are widely distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and 2–3 are Malayan. Of the 7 species found in New Zealand, 3 are endemic, the remaining 4 extend to Australia and Tasmania.
* Stems densely tufted, erect, terete, rush-like. Leaves either reduced to appressed sheaths or a short erect lamina alone present. Spikelets in a narrow terminal panicle. :
| Stems 1–2 ft., rather stout. Spikelets many, ⅓–½ in. long. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Nut trigonous, faces transversely rugose | 1. S. brevifolius. |
| Stems 1–3 ft., slender. Spikelets few or many, ¼ in. long. Hypogynous bristles present, equalling the nut or shorter than it. Nut obovoid, smooth | 2. S. Tendo. |
| Stems 1–2½ ft., very slender. Spikelets many, ¼–⅓ in. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Nut oblong, obtuse, not trigonous, white | 3. S. Carsei. |
| Stems 1–3 ft., slender. Spikelets few (2–8), ¼ in. Hypogynous bristles present, very long. Nut elliptic, trigonous, pale-brown | 4. S. pauciflorus. |
| ** Stems shorter, not so rigid, often diffuse. Leaves well developed. Spikelets fascicled or umbelled, sometimes solitary. ||
| Stems 2–6 in., creeping or diffuse. Leaves alternate, spreading. Spikelets 1–3 in the axils of the leaves | 5. S. axillaris. |
| Stems 6–14 in., slender, diffuse. Leaves mostly at the base of the stems, linear. Spikelets in irregular umbels or fascicles | 6. S. apogon. |
| Stems 1–12 in., slender, wiry, rigid. Leaves few at the base of the stems. Spikelets sessile in a dense head, sometimes few or solitary | 7. S. nitens. |
1. S. brevifolius, R. Br. Prodr. 281.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping. Stems rush-like, densely tufted, rigid, erect, terete, smooth and polished, 1–2 ft. high. Leaves reduced to 3 or 4 dark red-brown appressed sheaths at the base of the stem, the uppermost of which has a short rigid erect subulate lamina ½–1 in. long. Panicle narrow, 3–8 in. long; branches slender, erect; bracts at the base with appressed sheaths and a short erect lamina. Spikelets lanceolate, compressed, ⅓–½ in. long, 2–3-flowered, red-brown. ​Glumes 6–9, distichous, ovate-lanceolate, acute, concave, nerveless; margins ciliate; the 4–6 outer smaller and empty. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens usually 2. Style-branches 3. Nut small, turgid, obovoid, trigonous with the angles thickened, faces transversely rugose.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 370. S. tenax, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 298. Chætospora tenax, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 273.
North Island: From the North Cape to Cook Strait, but rare and local to the south of Rotorua. South Island: Nelson—Aorere Valley, Kirk! Sea-level to 1500 ft. December–January.
Also in extratropical Australia.
2. S. Tendo, Banks and Sol. ex Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 298.—Rhizome stout, creeping. Stems much more slender than in S. brevifolius, 1–3 ft. high, rigid, deeply grooved throughout their length. Leaves reduced to 2–3 dark chestnut-brown or almost black sheaths at the base of the stem, the uppermost produced into a subulate lamina ¼–½ in. long; the mouths of the sheaths fringed with cobwebby hairs. Panicle slender, narrow, 2–8 in. long; branches short, slender, erect. Spikelets linear-lanceolate, compressed, 2–4-flowered, ¼–⅓ in. long, dark-brown or almost black. Glumes 8–10, distichous, ovate-lanceolate, acute, concave, keeled, nerveless except the midrib; margins ciliate; the 5–6 outer smaller and empty. Hypogynous bristles 3–6, short, slender, sometimes not equaling the nut. Stamens 2. Style-branches usually 2. Nut obovoid, unequally and obliquely biconvex, quite smooth, white.—Chætospora Tendo, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 273.
North Island: Abundant on clay hills from the North Cape to Hawke's Bay and Taranaki. South Island: Nelson—Aorere Valley, Kirk. Sea-level to 2000 ft. October–January.
Easily distinguished from the preceding species by the more slender grooved stems, smaller darker spikelets, the presence of bristles, and by the smooth biconvex nut.
3. S. Carsei, Cheesem. n. sp.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping, clothed with chestnut-brown scales. Stems densely tufted, very slender, 1–2½ ft. high, terete, grooved. Leaves reduced to 2–3 chestnut-brown sheaths at the base of the stem, produced at the tip into an erect subulate lamina ½–2 in. long; the mouths of the sheaths oblique, glabrous. Panicle slender, narrow, 2–6 in. long; branches filiform, erect; bracts at the base with appressed sheaths, and a short erect lamina. Spikelets numerous, compressed, very narrow, ¼–⅓ in. long, linear-lanceolate, acute, brownish. Glumes 5–7, distichous, closely imbricate, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, concave, keeled, thin and membranous, nerveless; the 3–4 outer empty. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut oblong, obtuse at both ends, not trigonous, smooth, white.
North Island: Auckland—Swamps at Whangarei and between the Manukau Harbour and the Waikato River, H. Carse! Papatoetoe, Kirk! Taranaki—Ngaire Swamp, T.F.C. January–March.
This seems to have been confounded with S. pauciflorus, but differs from that species in the shorter leaves, longer panicle with numerous spikelets, in the absence of bristles, and in the nut. It is probably common in lowland swamps.
4. S. pauciflorus, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 298.—Rhizome short, stout, branched at the tip. Stems densely tufted, very slender, deeply grooved, 1–3 ft. high, green or purplish-red. Leaves reduced to 2–4 dark chestnut-brown or almost black sheaths at the base of the stem, the uppermost of which is produced into an erect almost filiform lamina 1–3 in. long; the mouths of the sheaths oblique, glabrous. Panicle small, ¾–2 in. long, of 2–8 spikelets; bracts usually 2, overtopping the panicle. Spikelets lanceolate, compressed, ¼ in. long, 2–4-flowered, varying in colour from whitish to dark chestnut-brown. Glumes 4–6, distichous, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, keeled, nerveless except the midrib; margins glabrous; the 3 outer slightly smaller, empty. Hypogynous bristles 6, filiform, almost equalling the style. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut elliptic-obiong, trigonous with the angles thickened, smooth, polished, pale-brown.—Chætospora pauciflora, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 273.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: An abundant mountain-plant from Lake Taupo southwards. 1500–5000 ft. December–March.
This hardly differs from the Chilian Chætospora antarctica, Hook, f., except in the much shorter leaves.
5. S. axillaris, Poir. Encycl. Suppl. ii. 251.—Stems very slender, pale-green, flaccid, leafy, branched, creeping or diffusely spreading, often intricate, 2–6 in. long or more. Leaves alternate, spreading, ½–1 in. long, very narrow-linear, obtuse, flat or nearly so, flaccid. Spikelets 1–3 together in the axils of the leaves, sessile or shortly peduncled, about 1/10 in. long, compressed, pale-brown, 1–2-flowered. Glumes distichous, lanceolate, subacute, keeled; the 2 or 3 outer empty and smaller. Hypogynous bristles 6, rarely fewer, longer than the nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut very small, elliptic-obovoid, obtusely trigonous, quite smooth, white or greyish-white.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 298; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 375. Chætospora axillaris, R. Br. Prodr. 233; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 274, t. 62a; Fl. Tasm. ii. 82. Scirpus foliatus, Hook. f. in Lond. Journ. Bot. iii. 1844, 414.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape southwards, abundant in the North Island, less plentiful in the South Island. Sea-level to 2500 ft. November–March.
Easily recognised by the slender creeping or diffuse habit, leafy stems, spikelets in twos or threes in the axils of the leaves, and small white nut. Also common in extratropical Australia and Tasmania.
​6. S. apogon, Roem and Schult. Syst. ii. 77.—Stems very numerous, crowded, weak, slender, sometimes almost filiform, grooved, leafy at the base, 6–14 in. long. Leaves much shorter than the stems, narrow-linear, acute, almost flaccid, channelled in front, convex and striate on the back. Spikelets linear-lanceolate, chestnutbrown or almost black, ⅛–⅙ in. long, 1–3-flowered, few or many together in irregular more or less compact umbels or heads, which are both terminal and lateral from the upper leaf-sheaths; bracts leafy. Glumes distichous, oblong-lanceolate, acute, keeled, almost black with narrow pale margins; the 3 outer empty, usually much smaller. Hypogynous bristles 6, not much exceeding the nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches usually 3. Nut small, broadly oblong-obovoid, obtusely trigonous, conspicuously reticulated, white.—S. Brownii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 298; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 373. Chætospora imberbis, R. Br. Prodr. 233; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 274; Fl. Tasm. ii. 82.
Var. laxiflorus, C. B. Clarke.—Stems very slender, lax, sometimes 2 ft. long. Inflorescence much more lax; clusters mostly lateral; spikelets often long-peduncled.—S. laxiflorus, Steud. Cyp. 166. S. vaccilans, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 421.
North Island: Auckland—Mongonui, T.F.C.; Puhipuhi, Kirk; Whangarei, Carse! vicinity of Auckland, T.F.C, Petrie! East Coast, Colenso! Var. laxiflorus: Between Taheke and Opanake, Petrie! ravines near the base of Mount Wynyard, Kirk! between Te Aroha and Katikati, Adams! Taranaki—White Cliffs, T.F.C. South Island: Canterbury—Kowai Pass, Kirk! (the typical form). Sea-level to 2000 ft. December–March.
Common in eastern Australia, from Queensland to Tasmania.
7. S. nitens, Poir. Encycl. Suppl. ii. 251.—Rhizome slender, creeping. Stems densely tufted, slender, wiry, grooved, leafy at the base, 2–12 in. high. Leaves few, shorter than the stems, semiterete, deeply channelled in front, grooved on the back; sheaths chestnut-brown or blackish-brown, shining, grooved. Inflorescence a terminal head of 1–15 densely crowded and sessile spikelets; bracts ½–1 in. long, exceeding the spikelets, continuous with the stem, so that the head appears lateral. Spikelets ovoid to lanceolate-ovoid, somewhat turgid, ⅛–⅕ in. long, 2- or more rarely 3-flowered, chestnut-brown to blackish-brown. Glumes 4–6, obscurely distichous, broadly ovate, obtuse, concave, keeled, shining; the 2 or rarely the 3 outer smaller and empty. Hypogynous bristles 6, usually longer than the nut, plumose at the base with long hairs. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut ovoid, obscurely trigonous, smooth and shining, pale-brown to dark-brown.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 299; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 362. S. Moorei, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 384 (not of Benth.). Chætospora nitens, R. Br. Prodr. 233; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 274; Fl. Tasm. ii. 82. Scirpus nitens, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxvi. (1869–70) 696.
Var. concinnus.—Smaller, more rigid and wiry, 1–3 in. high. Spikelets solitary or rarely 2 together, slightly compressed, ⅙–⅕ in. long, dark-brown or almost black. Nut rather larger, broadly ovoid, trigonous, sometimes scabrid at the tip.—S. concinnus, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 299. Chætospora concinna, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 274, t. 62, f. b.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From Lake Taupo southwards, but often local. Sea-level to 2500 ft. December–March.
A most variable plant. Hooker's S. concinnus appears to me to be a depauperated state connected with the type by numerous intermediates, and I have consequently followed Mr. C. B. Clarke in reducing it to S. nitens. The typical form is not uncommon in Australia, ranging from Queensland to Tasmania and Western Australia.
9. CLADIUM, P. Browne.
Perennial herbs. Stems stout or slender, terete or compressed, sometimes leafy throughout, sometimes at the base only, or the leaves reduced to sheathing scales. Leaves terete or compressed, more rarely vertically flattened and equitant at the base. Inflorescence paniculate. Spikelets numerous, rarely few, 1–3- or rarely 4–6-flowered, the lowest flower always perfect and fruit-bearing. Glumes imbricate all round, 1–4 outer empty, smaller than the succeeding flowering ones. Hypogynous bristles usually wanting. Stamens 3. Style long, linear; base often dilated but continuous with the nut; style- branches 3, rarely 2. Nut ovoid or oblong, terete or obscurely trigonous or tricostate, smooth, crowned by the adnate base of the style.
Species between 40 and 50, widely distributed, but more plentiful in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern. Of the 10 species found in New Zealand, 6 extend to Australia and Tasmania, 3 of them being also found in the Pacific islands or eastern Asia, the remaining 4 are endemic.
A. Vincentia. Spikelets with 2–4 perfect flowers. Nut stipitate, triquetrous, narrowed upwards into a long cuspidate beak. :
| Tall, 2–5 ft. Stems and leaves flattened, the latter ½–1 in. broad. Panicle very large, lax, drooping | 1. C. Sinclairii. |
| B. Baumea. Spikelets with 1 or rarely 2 perfect flowers. Nut sessile, often tumid at the apex, not narrowed into a cuspidate beak. ||
| * Spikelets usually 2–3-flowered, 1 or sometimes 2 of the flowers perfecting fruit. ||
| Stems and leaves flattened, ¼–½ in. broad. Panicle 6–12 in., narrow. Nut ovoid, trigonous | 2. C. complanatum. |
| Stems and leaves stout, terete, transversely septate. Panicle very large and broad, drooping. Nut obovoid, trigonous | 3. C. articulatum. |
| Stems and leaves slender, terete, not septate. Panicle narrow, erect, 3–10 in. long, interrupted; bracts spathaceous. Nut reddish-yellow, trigonous | 4. C. glomeratum. |
| Stems and leaves slender, terete, not septate. Panicle narrow, 10–18 in.; branches drooping. Nut pale | 5. C. Huttoni. ​ |
| ** Spikelets 1- or rarely 2-flowered, never more than one flower perfecting fruit. ||
| Stems and leaves slender, terete. Panicle 2–6 in. long, stiff, dense; bracts small. Nut small, oblong-orbicular | 6. C. teretifolium. |
| Stems very slender, terete. Leaf solitary and long, or reduced to sheathing scales. Panicle 6–18 in. long, slender. Nut ovoid, smooth; tip large, tumid | 7. C. Gunnii. |
| Stems terete. Leaves reduced to sheathing scales. Panicle short, ½–1½ in. long. Nut obtusely trigonous, tip small, puberulous | 8. C. junceum. |
| Stems stout, tetragonous. Leaves like the stems, short, often reduced to sheathing scales. Panicle contracted into a spike ⅓–½ in. long. Hypogynous bristles present | 9. C. Vauthiera. |
| Stems filiform. Leaves reduced to sheathing scales. Panicle short, ½–¾ in. long; spikelets 3–7. Nut with a persistent style-base as long as itself | 10. C. capillaceum. |
1. C. Sinclairii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 305.—Stems tall, leafy, quite flat, smooth, 2–5 ft. high, ¼ in. diam., forming large clumps. Leaves 2–4 ft. long, distichous and equitant at the base, acuminate, quite flat, ½–1 in. broad, pale-green, smooth, striate; margins thin, even. Panicle large, terminal, nodding, excessively branched, 9–12 in. long or more; bracts sheathing, 2-edged; branches drooping. Spikelets innumerable, rich dark red- brown, fascicled, ⅙ in. long, 2–3-flowered, the lower flower usually alone fertile. Glumes usually 5, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate or almost awned, minutely scabrid-pubescent, 2 or 3 outer empty. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens 3, elongating after flowering. Style-branches 3. Nut small, red-brown, fusiform, trigonous, conspicuously narrowed at the base, and also upwards into a triquetrous minutely scabrid beak. C. gahnioides, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (188i) 340. Vincentia anceps, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 276. V. gladiata, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxviii. (1874) 250.
North Island: From the North Capo southwards to Taupo and Hawke's Bay, not uncommon on cliffs, bank-sides, &c. Sea-level to 2000 ft. October–January.
A handsome species, remarkable for the broad flat leaves. When out of flower it might easily be mistaken for an iridacaous plant. Mr. Colenso's C. gahnioides is absolutely undistinguishable from the type.
2. C. complanatum, Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 23, t. 6, f. 1–5.—Stems tall, rather stout, compressed and 2-edged, smooth, finely striate, 2–4 ft. high, ¼ in. diam. at the base. Leaves about the length of the stem, distichous and equitant at the base, narrow-ensiform, acuminate, flat or slightly convex, ¼–½ in. broad, pale-green, smooth, striate; margins even, not scabnd. Panicle long and narrow, 6–12 in., much branched; branches fascicled, erect; bracts sheathing, with ciliate margins. Spikelets numerous, chestnut-brown, ⅙–⅕ in. long, ovate-oblong, 2–3-flowered, 1 or 2 of the flowers fertile. Glumes usually 5, ovate, acuminate, ​striate; margins ciliate; 2 or 3 outer empty. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut almost sessile, ovoid, trigonous, puberulous, pale-chestnut, narrowed upwards into a rather stout pyramidal beak.
North Island: Auckland—Ohaeawai and Taheke, Berggren! Puhipuhi Forest, Kirk! Maungatapere, Carse! September–November.
Apparently a very local plant, not yet found outside the Bay of Islands and Whangarei Counties.
3. C. articulatum, R. Br. Prodr. 237.—Stems tall and stout, terete, transversely septate, 3–6 ft. high. Leaves long, almost equalling the stems, terete, the transverse septa usually very distinct; sheaths large and long, pale; tip subulate, acute, pungent. Panicle large, lax, terminal, much branched, drooping, 9–18 in. long; branches numerous, closely placed; bracts sheathing, the lowest with a terete septate lamina ½–1½ in. long. Spikelets excessively numerous, rich red-brown, ⅙ in. long, 2–4-flowered, but usually only one flower is fertile. Glumes 4–7, ovate or ovate lanceolate, acuminate, keeled, membranous, puberulous, the 2 outer empty. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut broadly obovoid, trigonous with the angles thick and corky, red-brown; beak short, umbonate.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 276; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 304; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 403. Baumea loculata, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxviii. (1874) 243. Gahnia articulata, F. Muell. Second Census Austral. Pl. 216.
North Island: Margins of lakes and ponds from the North Cape to Taupo and Hawke's Bay, not uncommon. Sea-level to 1800 ft. November–January.
Also in Australia, New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides. Small states sometimes have the stems and leaves obscurely septate.
4. C. glomeratum, R. Br. Prodr. 237.—Stolons creeping, clothed with pale striated scales. Stems tufted, terete and rushlike, slender, rather soft, 1–3 ft. high. Leaves few from the base of the stem, long, terete, with acute subulate tips. Panicle contracted, 3–10 in. long; lower branches distant, usually long and narrow, erect; upper closer together, shorter and broader; primary bracts large and sheathing, almost spathaceous. reddish-brown. Spikelets numerous, fascicled, red-brown, ⅙–⅕ in. long, ovate-oblong, 2–3-flowered, 1 or rarely 2 of the flowers fertile. Glumes usually 5, ovate, acuminate, membranous, striated; margins ciliate; 2–3 outer ones empty. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut elliptic-oblong when mature, obtusely trigonous, smooth and polished, reddish or reddish-yellow; tip tumid, acute, pubescent.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 275; Fl. Tasm. ii. 94; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 304; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 404. Schœnus rubiginosus, Forst. Prodr. n. 493. Fuirena rubiginosa, Spreng. Fl. Hal. Mant. i. 29; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 271; Raoul, Choix, 40. Baumea rubiginosa, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxviii. (1874) 241.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Swampy places, margins of lakes, &c., plentiful in the North Island, less common in the South Island. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–January.
Best distinguished by the narrow interrupted panicle, broad spathaceous bracts, and 2–3-flowered spikelets. It extends to Australia and Tasmania, the Malay Archipelago, and northwards to China and Japan.
5. C. Huttoni, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. ix. (1877) 551.—Stems tufted, slender, terete, rather wiry, striate, 3–5 ft. high. Leaves few towards the base of the stem, long, terete, striate; tips subulate, acute. Panicle elongated, rather lax. drooping, 10–18 in. long; lower branches remote, solitary or fascicled, 3–6 in. long or more; bracts large and sheathing, membranous, acuminate. Spikelets numerous, fascicled, brown, ⅛–⅙ in. long, 2–5-flowered, rarely more than 2 of the flowers fertile. Glumes 4–7, ovate, acuminate, membranous, striated; margins ciliate. Stamens 3 or rarely 2. Style-branches 3. Nut small, oblong, obtusely trigonous, smooth when mature, pale; beak very small.
North Island: Auckland—Whangape, Waikare, Waihi, and other lakes in the Middle Waikato, Kirk! T.F.C; Lake Tikitapu, Kirk! Lake Taupo, Kirk. Sea-level to 1600 ft. December–Febraary.
Very close to C. glomeratum, but distinguished by the larger size, longer panicle with drooping branches, smaller many-flowered spikelets, and smaller paler nut.
6. C. teretifolium, R. Br. Prodr. 237.—Stems densely tufted, terete or slightly compressed, rush-like, firm, striate, 1–3 ft. high. Leaves few at the base of the stem, long, terete except towards the sharp subulate tip, which is often obscurely 3–4-angled; sheaths rather loose. Panicle oblong, 2–6 in. long, much branched, dense; lower branches closely placed, not distant as in C. glomeratum; bracts short. Spikelets very numerous, fascicled, dark-brown, ⅙ in. long, 1- or rarely 2-flowered, but in the latter case the upper flower is sterile. Glumes ovate, acuminate or awned, membranous, ciliate or almost glabrous, the 2 or 3 outer empty. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut very small, oblong-orbicular, not trigonous, corky, conspicuouslv corrugated; beak very minute, smooth.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 276; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 304; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 406.
North Island: Abundant in swamps from the North Cape to Hawke's Bay and Taranaki. South Island: Aorere Valley, Kirk! near Westport, Townson! Hokitika, Kirk! Canterbury, Armstrong; Southern Alps, Sinclair and Haast (Handbook). Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–January.
This has the habit and general appearance of C. glomeratum, but the stems and leaves are firmer, the panicle shorter and much more dense, bracts smaller, spikelets usually 1-flowered, and nut very different. It is also found in eastern Australia and Tasmania.
​7. C. Gunnii, Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 95, t. 148b.—Stems densely tufted, rush-like, very slender, terete, rigid and wiry, 9 in. to 3 ft. high. Leaves sometimes wholly reduced to sheathing scales at the base of the stem, but usually 1 long terete stem-like leaf with 2–3 sheaths below it; tip subulate, pungent; sheaths long, purplish-red. Panicle elongate, narrow, interrupted, 6–18 in. long; branches remote, slender, erect, the lowest sometimes 6 in. long in large specimens, in small ones reduced to 1 in.; bracts closely sheathing, with a short erect lamina. Spikelets not fascicled, distinct, sessile, 1-flowered. Glumes usually 3, lanceolate, acuminate, the 2 lowest empty; the uppermost fertile, longer and narrower than the others, and spreading in fruit; margins involute. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut pedicelled, ovoid or oblong-ovoid, smooth and shining when mature. 3-ribbed when young, tip large and tumid, pale-yellow with dark base and tip.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 304; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 407; Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 24, t. 6, f. 6–11. C. laxiflorum, Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 95, t. 148a. Lampocarya tenax, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 277.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From the North Cape southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 2500 ft. December–February.
Also in eastern Australia and Tasmania. In fruit the margins of the upper part of the flowering glume become strongly involute, firmly enclosing the 3 persistent stamens, which remain attached to the pedicel of the ripe nut. The nut is thus frequently detained swinging from the spikelet long after it has separated from the point of attachment.
8. C. junceum, R. Br. Prodr. 237.—Rhizome stout, woody, creeping, clothed with pale-brown scales. Stems tufted, rigid, erect, terete, rush-like, 1–2 ft. high. Leaves reduced to 1 long and closely appressed sheath with a minute vertically flattened lamina, below which are 1 or 2 much shorter sheaths. Panicle short, spike-like, sparingly branched, ½–1½ in. long; bract at the base very small. Spikelets red-brown, ⅙ in. long, 1–2-flowered, the lower flower alone fertile. Glumes 4–5, oblong-ovate, acute, membranous, keeled, puberulous, the 2 or 3 outer empty. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut oblong-ovoid, obscurely trigonous, dark-brown, surface rough; beak small, tumid, puberulous.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 95; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 305; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 408. Lepidosperma striatum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 279 (not of R. Br.). L. Colensoi, Boeck. in Linnæa, xxxviii. (1874) 328.
North and South Islands: From the North Cape to the Bluff, not uncommon, especially in the North Island, often in brackish-water swamps. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–January.
Also throughout the greater part of Australia and in New Caledonia.
9. C. Vauthiera, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping. Stems densely tufted, rather stout, conspicuously ​4-angled, smooth, wiry, rigid, 9–18 in. high. Leaves 1 or 2 like the stems, 2–10 in. long, sometimes reduced to sheathing scales. Panicle contracted into a dense oblong spike-like head ⅓–½ in. long, subtended by a rigid sheathing bract terminated by a subulate erect point. Spikelets few, densely compacted, ⅙ in. long, 1-flowered. Glumes 5–6, ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, coriaceous, puberulous, the terminal one subtending the flower, the remainder all empty. Hypogynous scales 6, small, white, triangular, connate into a 6-lobed cup. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut broadly oblong, obtusely trigonous, smooth, redbrown; beak short, ovoid-conic, pubescent.—Vauthiera australis, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 107, t. 20; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 276; Raoul, Choix, 40. Lepidosperma australe, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 279. L. tetragonum, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 307 (not of Labill.).
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon throughout. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–January.
This differs from Lepidosperma, to which it was referred by Hooker, in always wanting the sterile flower below the fruit-bearing one. I have followed Mr. Clarke's suggestion in placing it in Cladium, notwithstanding the presence of hypogynous bristles. It is endemic in New Zealand.
10. C. capillaceum, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Rhizome short, creeping. Stems densely tufted, very slender, filiform, wiry, terete, finely striate, 9–18 in. high. Leaves reduced to a single closely apnressed purplish-red sheath, usually with a very minute erect scale-like lamina at the tip. Panicle terminal, very small, slender, ½–¾ in. long, of from 3 to 7 spikelets. Spikelets narrow, obscurely distichous, ⅛–⅙ in. long, 1-flowered. Glumes usually 5, ovate-lanceolate, awned, membranous, the 3 outer empty. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut oblong-ovoid, 3-ribbed, pale, smooth, crowned by the long and narrow pubescent style-base, which is as long as the nut itself.—Chætospora capillacea, Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 81, t. 141a (not of Nees). C. capillaris, F. Muell. Fragm. Phyt. Austral. ix. 34. Elynanthus capillaceus, Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 377. Schœnus capillaris, F. Muell. Second Census Austral. Pl. 215. S. tenuis, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. i. ed. ii. (1871) 94.
North Island: From the North Cape southwards, not uncommon. South Island: Near Westport, Townson! Sea level to 2000 ft. December–February.
Also found in Victoria and Tasmania. The narrow elongated persistent style-base gives the nut a different appearance to that of any other New Zealand species.
10. LEPIDOSPERMA, Labill.
Perennial herbs. Stems stout, leafy at the base, often flat or compressed. Leaves similar to the stems, sheathing at the base. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, either long and much branched, or ​short and spike-like. Spikelets numerous, 2–4-flowered, the uppermost flower perfect and fruit-bearing, the remamder sterile. Glumes 5–10, subdistichous, imbricate; outer 1–6 empty. Hypogynous bristles 6, short, ovate or lanceolate with a setiform tip. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut ovoid or oblong, obtusely trigonous; tip obtuse, indurated, smooth.
Species 36. One of them is endemic in South China and Malacca, the remaining 35 are confined to Australia, with the exception of two which are found in New Zealand as well.
| Stems flat and thin. Panicle narrow, lax, 4–12 in. long | 1. L. laterale. |
| Stems slender, terete. Spike simple, 1–3 in. long | 2. L. filiforme. |
1. L. laterale, R. Br. Prodr. 234.—Stems densely tufted, flat or very slightly convex, with sharp almost cutting edges, smooth, firm, 2–4 ft. high, ⅕–¼ in. broad. Leaves 3–5, similar to the stems but shorter, equitant at the base. Panicle long and narrow, 4–12 in. long; branches not very closely placed, elongated, erect, simple or again branched, lowest bract with an erect lamina 1½–4 in. long, upper bracts short. Spikelets sessile, red-brown, ⅕ in. long, usually with 1 perfect flower and 1 sterile one below it. Glumes ovate, acuminate or almost awned, keeled, minutely puberulous on the back, the 3 outer empty. Hypogynous bristles 6, connate at the base, small, short, tipped with delicate fragile setae which are sometimes half as long as the nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut ovoid-oblong, obtusely trigonous, smooth when fully mature, tip tumid.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 398. L. concavum, Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 91, t. 146b; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 307 (not of R. Br.). L. longitudinalis, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 279 (not of Labill.).
North Island: Auckland—Clay hills from the North Cape to the Upper Waikato, not uncommon. Sea-level to 1500 ft. January–February.
Also in eastern Australia and Tasmania.
2. L. filiforme, Labill. Pl. Nov. Holl. i. 17, t. 15.—Rhizome short, stout, woody, creeping. Stems numerous, densely tufted, slender but rigid, erect, terete, rush-like, 1–3 ft. high. Leaves reduced to a rather long and closely appressed sheath, terminating in a short and almost filiform erect lamina. Spike simple, terminal, 1–3 in. long; rhachis slender, straight or scarcely flexuose; sheathing bracts narrow. Spikelets 1 to each bract, narrow-linear, terete or nearly so, ⅓ in. long, 2-flowered, the upper flower perfect, the lower sterile. Glumes 4–5, narrow-lanceolate, acute, the 2 or 3 outer ones shorter and broader, empty. Stamens 3. Nut oblong, obtuse or minutely apiculate, obtusely trigonous with a thickened hne down the angles. Hypogynous scales at the base of the nut minute, whitish, subulate-lanceolate, acute, closely appressed.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 93 (in part); F. Muell. Fragm. ix. 27; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 399.
North Island: Auckland— Clay hills between Mongonui and Kaitaia, H. Carse! August–September.
I am indebted to Mr. C. B. Clarke for identifying this with the Australian L. filiforme. So far, it has only been gathered in New Zealand by Mr. Carse, but it will probably prove to be not uncommon north of Auckland. In Australia it has been recorded from Victoria and Tasmania.
11. GAHNIA, Forst.
Tufted perennial herbs, usually of large size. Stems tall and stout, leafy throughout their length. Leaves usually long, very coarse and harsh, narrowed into long subulate or filiform points; margms involute, scabrid. Panicle large, terminal; sometimes broad and effuse, with drooping branches; sometimes narrower and more erect. Spikelets clustered, black or dark-brown, 1–2-flovered; the upper flower hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing; the lower flower sterile or male. Glumes many, imbricated all round; the outer 2–5 or more empty, keeled, often mucronate; flowering glumes minute at first, but enlarging in fruit. Hypogynous bristles wanting. Stamens usually 4 in the hermaphrodite flower, often 4–6 in the male flower; filaments greatly elongated after flowering, and often holding the nut. Nut hard and bony, ellipsoid or ovoid or obovoid, obscurely trigonous or terete, red or reddish-brown or black.
Species about 30, most of them natives of Australia and New Zealand, but extending through the Pacific islands to the Sandwich Islands and Malay Archipelago. Of the 8 found in New Zealand, one occurs in Lord Howe Island and another in the Sandwich Islands, the remaining 6 are endemic. The genus is remarkable for the extraordinary extent to which the filaments lengthen after flowering. In G. procera they are often quite 2 in. long, or from 8 to 10 times the length of the flowering glumes. They generally remain attached to the base of the nut after it has fallen away, and as the other end of the filament is usually entangled with the glumes or with the filaments of other flowers the nut remains swinging by the filaments quite free from the spikelet. Mr. Colenso (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. 281) has suggested that some of these filaments are in reality hypogynous scales, giving as a reason for this belief that in his G. scaberula and G. exigua he has noticed within the same flower stamens with the filaments still very short, and filaments already lengthened to the full extent. He failed to notice that the lower male flower expands long before the hermaphrodite flower placed just above it, so that its filaments have lost their anthers and lengthened long before the expansion of the upper flower takes place. The two flowers are placed so close together that it is quite easy to take the two for one.
| Tall, 3–7 ft. Panicle 1–3 ft., nodding. Glumes 7–8; 4–5 empty, unequal. Nut small, ⅙ in., red-brown | 1. G. setifolia. |
| Smaller, 2–4 ft. Panicle 1½–2½ ft., rigid, erect. Glumes 6–7; 3–4 empty, subequal. Nut small, ⅙ in, red-brown | 2. G. rigida. |
| Slender, 2–4 ft. Panicle 1½–2½ ft., narrow, elongate, branches distant. Glumes 8; 5 empty, unequal. Fruit large, ⅕–¼ in., red-brown | 3. G. pauciflora. |
| Very tall and stout, 5–12 ft. Panicle 2–5 ft., nodding. Glumes 6–7; 4–5 empty, subequal. Nut large, ⅕–¼ in., black when fully ripe | 4. G. xanthocarpa. ​ |
| Tall and snout, 5–7 ft. Panicle 2–3 ft., rigid, erect. Glumes 8; 5 empty, subequal. Nut small, ⅙ in., black | 5. G. robusta. |
| Leafy, 2–4 ft. Panicle 1–1½ ft., narrow, lax. Glumes 4; 2 empty, very long. Nut large, ¼ in., red-brown | 6. G. procera. |
| Slender, 2–4 ft. Panicle 9–18 in., slender, narrow but dense. Glumes 4–5; 2–3 empty. Nut small, ⅙ in., black | 7. G. lacera. |
| Small, 6–14 in. Leaves exceeding the stem, spreading. Glumes 6; 4 empty. Nut small, ovoid, apiculate, black | 8. G. Gaudichaudi. |
1. G. setifolia, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 278.—Seems numerous, tall, stout, 3–7 ft. high, forming large tussocks. Leaves many, almost as long as the stems, involute, with scabrid cutting edges and long filiform points. Panicle large, nodding, 1–3 ft. long, much and laxly branched; branches long, erect in flower, drooping in fruit; bracts long and leafy, with scabrid filiform points. Spikelets very numerous, davk-brown or almost black, ⅙–⅕ in. long, 2-flowered; the lower flower male, the upper hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing. Glumes 7–8; the 4–5 outer ones empty, gradually increasing in length, keeled, acuminate, minutely scaberulous; the 3 upper very small at the time of flowering and concealed within the uppermost empty glume, enlarged in fruit and closely appressed to the nut, obtuse, convolute. Stamens usually 4 to each flower, but varying from 4 to 6; filaments greatly elongated in fruit. Style-branches 3, rarely 4. Nut small, ⅙ in. long, elliptic-obovoid, narrowed at both ends, smooth and shining, indistinctly grooved, red-brown when fully ripe, transversely grooved within.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 306. G. scaberula, G. parviflora, and G. multiglumis, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 278–80. Lampocarya setifolia, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 111; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 282; Raoul, Choix, 40.
North Island: Abundant throughout. South Island: Marlborough—Picton, J. Rutland! Sea-level to 2000 ft. December–January.
2. G. rigida, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. ix. (1877) 551.—Stems densely tufted, harsh and rigid, erect, 2–4 ft. high. Leaves equalling the stems, with involute scabrid margins and very long drooping filiform points. Panicle stiff, erect, rather narrow, elongate, 1½–2½ ft. long; branches numerous, short, strict, erect; bracts with dark sheaths and long filiform points. Spikelets numerous, crowded, dark-brown or almost black, ⅕–¼ in. long, 2-flowered; the lower flower male, the upper hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing. Glumes 6–7; the 3–4 outer empty, almost equal in length, keeled, narrowed into long acuminate points, scaberulous on the keel, margins paler, membranous; the 3 inner small at the time of flowering, enlarged in fruit, convolute, obtuse. Stamens 4–5 in each flower; filaments greatly elongated in fruit. Style-branches 3. Nut small, ⅙ in. long, oblong-obovoid, smooth, brown, or brown mottled with red and black.—G. exigua, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 279.
South Island: Nelson—Dun Mountain, T.F.C.; Aorere Valley and Ngakawau, Kirk; Westport, Townson! Westland—Between Hokitika and Ross, Marsden, near Greymouth, Kirk! Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Distinguished from G. setifolia by the usually smaller size, erect rigid panicle, longer and more acuminate subequal glumes, and more obovoid nut. The erect compact panicle, subequal glumes, and small nut separate it from the following species.
3. G. pauciflora, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. i. ed. 2 (1871) 94.—Stems slender, sparingly leafy, 2–3 ft. high, rarely more. Leaves equalling the stems, narrow, with scabrid cutting edges and long filiform points. Panicle long, lax but narrow, 1½–3 ft. long; branches distant, slender; bracts long, leafy. Spikelets loosely scattered on the branches of the panicle, not crowded, sessile or shortly pedicelled, brownish-black, ⅕–¼ in. long, 2-flowered; lower flower male, upper hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing. Glumes usually 8; the 5 lower ones empty, gradually increasing in size, ovate, acute or acuminate; the 3 upper small at first, but enlarging in fruit, deeply concave, appressed to the nut, obtuse. Stamens 4–5 to each flower; filaments greatly elongated in fruit. Style-branches 3–4. Nut large, ⅕–¼ in. long, elliptic-ovoid, acute at both ends, smooth and shining, often grooved on the inner face, red-brown with a dark tip, transversely grooved within.—G. Hectori, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. ix. (1877) 551.
North and South Islands: From the North Cape southwards to Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland, plentiful. Sea-level to 3000 ft. October–December.
A well-marked species, at, once recognised by the slender elongated panicle, with lax distant branches; the numerous empty glumes, the lower of which are unusually small; and the large red-brown nut.
4. G. xanthocarpa, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 306.—Stems numerous, stout, often as thick as the finger, densely tufted, leafy, 5–12 ft. high, forming huge clumps in forests. Leaves numerous, very long, ½ in. broad or more, involute, scabrid on the margins and veins, upper part produced into long filiform points. Panicle very large, 2–5 ft. long, drooping, excessively branched; branches long, slender, pendulous, 9–18 in. long or even more; bracts long, leafy. Spikelets innumerable, densely crowded, brown, ⅕–¼ in. long, 2-flowered; lower flower male, upper flower hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing. Glumes 6–7; the 3–4 outer empty, not very different in length, ovate, shortly acuminate; the 3 upper smaller, deeply concave, obtuse. Stamens usually 4 to each flower; filaments lengthening much in fruit. Style-branches 3–4. Nut large, ⅕–¼ in. long, elliptic-oblong or -obovoid, acute at both ends, smooth and shining, sometimes indistinctly grooved, black when fully ripe, yellowish when immature, transversely grooved within.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 418. G. ebenocarpa, Hook. f. ex Kirk in ​Trans. N.Z. Inst. i (1869) 149. Lampocarya xanthocarpa, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 278. Cladium xanthocarpum, F. Muell. Fragm. Phyt. Austral. ix. 13.
North Island: Not uncommon in forests throughout. South Island: Marlborough—J. Rutland! Nelson—Motueka Valley, T.F.C; Westport, Townson! Westland—Hokitika, Kirk! Canterbury—Haast, Armstrong. Sea-level to 2500 ft. February–March.
The finest species of the genus, at once identified by its large size, enormous panicles, and large black nut. Also recorded from Lord Howe Island.
5. G. robusta, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. (1894) 261.—Stems robust, as thick as the little finger, 6–7 ft. high. Leaves almost as long as the stems, involute, with scabrid margins and long filiform points. Panicle large, 2–3 ft. long, dense, narrow, erect; branches 5–10 in. long, strict, erect; bracts leafy, with long filiform points. Spikelets crowded, dark-brown or almost black, 2-flowered; lower flower male, upper hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing. Glumes usually 7; the 4 outer empty, subequal, awned; the 3 inner small in the flowering stage, but enlarged in fruit, concave, coriaceous, obtuse. Stamens 4–6 in each flower, elongated in fruit. Style-branches 2–4. Nut small, ⅙–⅕ in. long, elliptic-obovoid, black when fully ripe, transversely grooved within.
North Island: Wellington—Mungaroa, Kirk! March.
My knowledge of this plant is confined to the specimens in Mr. Kirk's herbarium. These greatly resemble G. rigida, but the plant is said to be much larger, and the nut to be always black when fully ripe.
6. G. procera, Forst. Char. Gen. 52.—Stems stout, densely tufted, 2–4 ft. high. Leaves equalling or exceeding the stems, narrowed into long filiform points; margins involute, smooth below, scabrid above; sheaths dark-brown or almost black. Panicle slender, lax but narrow, elongate, 12–18 in. long; branches often remote, short, erect or slightly drooping in fruit; bracts leafy, with purplish-black sheaths. Spikelets scattered along the branches or clustered towards their tips, large, ⅓–½ in. long, dark purplish-black, 2-flowered; lower flower male, upper hermaphrodite and fruit-bearing. Glumes 4; 2 outer empty, very large and exceeding the spikelet, elliptic-lanceolate, mucronate, striate; 2 inner shorter, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse. Stamens usually 4 to each flower; filaments elongating greatly in fruit. Style-branches 4. Nut large, ¼ in. long, narrow-elliptic, smooth and shining, obscurely grooved, reddish-brown or reddish-yellow when ripe, transversely grooved within.—A. Rich, Fl. Nouv. Zel. 112; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 284; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 278; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 306.
South Island: Nelson—Buller Valley, T.F.C; Mount Rochfort and vicinity of Westport, Townson! Westland—Hokitika, Kirk! Kelly's Hill, Cockayne! Otago—Dusky Sound, Forster; Port Preservation, Lyall; Clinton Valley, Petrie. Stewart Island: Port Pegasus, Petrie! Pearson! Sea-level to 2500 ft. December–February.
A very distinct species, remarkable for the large purplish-black spikelets and long empty glumes, which are only 2 in number. There is an unnamed specimen, presumably from the North Island, in Mr. Colenso's herbarium.
7. G. lacera, Steud. Gyp. 164.—Stems rather slender, leafy, densely tufted, 2–4 ft. high. Leaves equalling or exceeding the stems, flat or involute, ⅓–½ in. broad, narrowed into long filiform points, margins scabrid. Panicle elongated, narrow but rather dense, 9–18 in. long; branches short, erect or inclined; bracts long and leafy. Spikelets alternate on the branches of the panicle, shortly pedicelled, brown, 1-flowered. Glumes 4–5; 2 or 3 outer empty, subequal. ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate or awned, rather membranous, minutely scaberulous on the back; 2 inner shorter, concave, obtuse, margins scarious and lacerate. Stamens 4; filaments greatly elongate in fruit. Style-branches 3. Nut small, ⅙ in. long, oblong-obovoid, obtuse, shining, black, very obscurely transversely striate within.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 306. Lampocarya lacera, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 109; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 281; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 277.
North Island: From the North Cape to Cook Strait, not uncommon. Sea-level to 2000 ft. July–August.
This is quoted from the South Island in the Handbook, but I have seen no specimens from thence.
8. G. Gaudichaudii, Steud. Gyp. 164.—Stems short, densely tufted, obtusely trigonous, leafy, 6–18 in. high. Leaves very numerous, spreading, much exceeding the stems, narrow, rigid, scabrid, sheaths short, submembranous. Panicle narrow, contracted, rigid, leafy, 3–9 in. long; branches few, short, erect; bracts very long and leafy. Spikelets clustered on the branches, ellipticlanceolate, turgid, acute, chestnut-brown, 1-flowered. Glumes 6, firm and coriaceous, minutely puberulous, ciliolate on the margins; 4 outer small, gradually increasing in size, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, awned; 2 inner much longer, rigid in fruit, acuminate. Stamens usually 3; filaments scarcely lengthening after flowering. Style-branches 3. Nut small, ovoid, obscurely trigonous, minutely apiculate, smooth, black, not transversely grooved within.—Hillebr. Fl. Hawaii, 481. G. affinis, Steud. Gyp. 164. G. arenaria, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 306. Lampocarya affinis, Brong. in Duperr. Voy. Coq. Bot. 166, t. 29; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 277. Morelotia gahniæformis, Gaud. in Freyc. Voy. Bot. 416, t. 28; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 115; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 285; Raoul, Choix, 40.
North and South Islands: Dry hills from the North Cape to Banks Peninsula, but not common to the south of Cook Strait. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also in the Sandwich Islands.
12. OREOBOLUS, R. Br.
Dwarf perennial herbs, forming dense cushion-shaped masses in alpme bogs. Stems branched, very closely compacted, leafy throughout. Leaves numerous, close-set, distichous and equitant, more rarely irregularly imbricate all round. Peduncle axillary, short at first but lengthening after the flowers expand, strict, compressed, bearing a terminal spikelet with or without 1 or 2 lateral ones. Spikelets minute, narrow, 1-flowered; flower hermapnrodite. Glumes 3 or rarely 4, the outer the largest, the second and third subequal, the fourth when present small, not much longer than the nut. Hypogynous scales (perianth-segments) 6, in 2 series, subequal, narrow, rigid, erect. Stamens 3. Style slender, continuous with the ovary; branches 3. Nut obovoid, obtuse with a depressed star-like mark at the apex, smooth.
In addition to the 2 species described below, one of which extends to Victoria and Tasmania, there is also one in Andine and antarctic America, and another in the Sandwich Islands.
| Leaves obscurely distichous. Peduncle shorter than the leaves; spikelets usually 2, rarely 1 or 3 | 1. O. pumilio. |
| Leaves conspicuously distichous. Peduncle often equalling or exceeding the leaves in fruit; spikelets usually 1 | 1a. O. pumilio var. pectinatus. |
| Leaves obscurely distichous, very narrow, strict. Peduncle shorter than the leaves; spikelets usually 1 | 2. O. strictus. |
1. O. pumilio, R. Br. Prodr. 236.—Stems much branched, short, ½–2 in. high, forming broad and dense cushion-shaped masses. Leaves obscurely distichous, ½–1½ in. long, erect or incurved, rarely spreading, narrow-linear, narrowed towards the obtuse tip, concave or almost flat in front, veinless or indistinctly 3-nerved; margins minutely serrulate; sheaths equitant, membranous, 3-nerved. Peduncles stout, rigid, mostly shorter than the leaves; spikelets usually 2, rarely 3 or 1. Glumes 3–4; the outer one the largest, leaf-like, 3-nerved; the second and third about equal; the fourth, when present, minute, not much exceeding the nut. Hypogynous scales narrow-lanceolate, acute, serrulate. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut small, obovoid. obtuse, whitish or brownish.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 308; Fl. Tasm. ii. 94; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 346.
South Island: Nelson—Mount Rochfort and other mountains near Westpost, Townson! Westland—Arthur's Pass, T.F.C.; Kelly's Hill, Petrie! Worsley's Pass, Cockayne! Otago—Mountains above Lake Harris, Kirk! 2000–4000 ft.
​Var. pectinatus, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Larger and softer, sometimes forming tufts 3–5 ft. high and a foot or more in diam. Leaves conspicuously distichous, often almost flabellately arranged, with broad equitant 5–7-nerved membranous sheathing bases; lamina linear-subulate, rigid, channelled in front. Peduncles 1-flowered, often eaualling or exceeding the leaves in fruit.—O. pectinatus, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 87, t. 49; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 275.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: From the summit of Moehau (Cape Colville) and Taupo southwards, abundant in mountainous districts. Altitudinal range usually from 2000 to 4500 ft., but descending to sea-level in Stewart Island and the Auckland and Campbell Islands.
I have followed Mr. C. B. Clarke's views in the arrangement of the two forms of O. pumilio described above. The typical variety is also found on the mountains of Victoria and Tasmania; var. pectinatus is endemic.
2. O. strictus, Berggr. in Minneskr. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 25, t. 6, f. 12–24.—Stems 2–3 in. high, creeping and rooting at the base, laxly tufted, much branched; branches not nearly so dense as in O. pumilio, erect, curved, leafy throughout their length. Leaves obscurely distichous, 1–2½ in. long, strict and erect or secund, very narrow-linear, deeply canaliculate above, obtuse, margins minutely serrulate; sheaths broad, membranous, 3–5-nerved, rounded or truncate at the tip. Peduncle much shorter than the leaves; spikelets 1, rarely 2, narrow. Glumes 3; outer the largest, minutely serrulate; the two others subequal, narrow, erect. Hypogynous scales 6, narrow-lanceolate, acute, minutely serrulate. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3, long, filiform. Nut small, obovoid, narrowed at the base, obtuse, white.—O. serrulatus, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 492.
North Island: Rangipo Plain, near Ruapehu, H. Hill. South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C.; Lake Rotoiti, Kirk! Canterbury—Arthur's Pass, Berggren! Kirk! T.F.C. Otago—Inch-Clutha, Swampy Hill, Maungatua, Mount Kyeburn, Hector Mountains, Blue Mountains, Bluff, Petrie! Stewart Island: Kirk! Usually between 2000 and 4000 ft., but descends to sea-level in Otago and Stewart Island.
Very close to O. pumilio, but a much more laxly tufted plant, with narrower strict leaves, which considerably overtop the peduncle.
13. UNCINIA, Pers.
Perennial herbs, usually tufted and grass-like, with fibrous roots. Culms erect, terete or obscurely trigonous, striate, leafy at the base. Leaves very narrow-linear, flat or involute, often keeled, margins usually scabrid. Spikelets unisexual, arranged in a simple linear or oblong spike; male terminal; females placed lower down. Glumes imbricated all round the axis, ovate or oblong or lanceolate, obtuse or acute or the lower ones awned, concave, 1–3-nerved. Male flowers with 3 stamens; filaments filiform in all the New Zealand species, flat and dilated in some ​others. Female flowers with the ovary included in a flask-shaped organ called the utricle or perigynium; style long, protruding; branches 3, filiform. Rhachilla produced beyond the mouth of the utricle into a long bristle hooked at the tip. Nut trigonous or subcompressed, enclosed in the peristent more or less enlarged utricle.
A genus of about 30 species, found in Australia and Tasmania, New Zealand, and America from Mexico and the West Indies to Fuegia. Of the 12 species native in New Zealand, 4 extend to Australia and Tasmania, and 1 to South America, the remaining 7 are endemic. The genus only differs from Carex in the rhachilla being exserted beyond the utricle in the shape of a hooked bristle. The New Zealand species are highly variable and most difficult of discrimination. U. purpurata, cæspitosa, riparia, rupestris, and filiformis present an almost unbroken series of forms, and I doubt if any two observers would arrive at the same conclusions respecting them, even if they worked on the same material.
Section A. Spike short and broad, ⅓–1 in. long, oblong or linear-oblong, dense-flowered. :
| Culms 2–9 in., rather stout. Leaves shorter than the culms, 1/12–1/10 in. diam. Spike pale, ½–1 in. Utricle scabrid | 1. U. Sinclairii. |
| Culms 2–6 in., weak. Leaves longer than the culms, filiform, 1/30–1/20 in. diam. Spike pale, ⅓–½ in. Utricle very small, lanceolate | 2. U. tenella. |
| Culms 4–9 in., slender, strict. Leaves shorter than the culms, filiform, 1/40–1/30 in. diam. Spike brownish, ⅓–⅔ in. Utricles conspicuously nerved | 3. U. nervosa. |
| Culms 3–12 in., stout. Leaves flat, grasssy, 1/12–1/8 in. diam. Spike brown or chestnut-brown, ½–1 in. long. Utricles faintly nerved | 4. U. compacta. |
| Section B. Spike elongated, 1–6 in. long, linear or narrow linear-oblong, dense-flowered, continuous. ||
| Culms 6–14 in., stout or slender. Leaves flat, grassy; sheaths dusky-brown. Spike brownish, 1–2 in. Glumes oblong-obovate, usually obtuse | 5. U. purpurata. |
| Culms 6–14 in., slender. Leaves flat, grassy, 1/15–1/6 in. diam. Spike pale or green, 1½–3 in. Glumes oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate | 6. U. cæspitosa. |
| Culms 9–20 in., slender. Leaves flat, grassy, ⅛–¼ in. broad. Spike 3–6 in., linear-elongate. Glumes oblong-lanceolate, brownish | 7. U. australis. |
| Section C. Spike ½–4 in. long, linear, very slender, lax-flowered, usually interrupted towards the base. ||
| Culms 12–24 in., slender. Leaves flat, 1/12–1/10 in. diam. Spike 1½–5 in. Utricles distinctly scabrid above | 8. U. leptostachya. |
| Culms 9–20 in., slender. Leaves flat or slightly involute, 1/30–1/10 in. diam. Spike 1½–4in., green. Glumes always shorter than the utricles, in var. Banksii barely half their length | 9. U. riparia. |
| Everywhere red-brown. Culms 6–14 in., strict, rigid. Leaves usually shorter than the culms, flat or involute, 1/15–1/10 in. Spike 1–2 in., rigid. Glumes nearly as long as the utricles | 10. U. rubra. ​ |
| Culms 3–12 in., slender. Leaves usually shorter than the culms, flat, 1/25–1/15 in. diam. Spike ½–1½ in. Glumes brown or chestnut, almost as long as the utricle | 11. U. rupestris. |
| Culms 3–9 in., very slender. Leaves usually longer than the culms, filiform, convolute, 1/50–1/30 in. diam. Spike ½–1½ in., extremely slender. Glumes pale, about equal to the utricles | 12. U. filiformis. |
1. U. Sinclairii, Boott ex Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 309.—Rhizome stoloniferous. Culms 2–9 in. high, rather stout, siiiooth, subrigid, erect or curved, obtusely trigonous, leafy towards the base. Leaves shorter than the culms or equalling them, flat, grassy, 1/12–1/10 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike rather stout, dense, narrow-oblong, ½–1 in. long; male portion very short, narrow; bract wanting. Glumes ovate, obtuse or the lowest subacute, pale whitish-green with broad scarious margins, many-nerved on the back. Utricles equalling the glumes or rather longer than them, ovate-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, triquetrous, nerved, scabrid towards the tip, margins ciliate; bristle yellowish, twice the length of the utricle. Nut elliptic-oblong, trigonous.—C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 394; Kukenthal in Bot. Centralbl. 82 (1900) 3.
Var. elegans, Kukenthal, MS.—Culms more slender. Leaves numerous, 1/20–1/15 in. broad, exceeding the culms. Spike elongate, ¾–1¼ in. long, linear. Glumes cinnamon-brown.
South Island: Nelson—Lake Tennyson, Travers. Canterbury—Broken River, Enys! Otago—Eweburn, Naseby, Hector Mountains, Mount Cardrona, Upper Havvea, Petrie! Dart Valley, Kirk! Var. elegans: Black's, Otago, Petrie! 1200–4000 ft. December–February.
A distinct plant, easily recognised by the small size, broad flat leaves, stout and pale spike, and scabrid utricles. It has recently been found in Fuegia.
2. U. tenella, R. Br. Prodr. 241.—Rhizome very slender, creeping. Culms densely tufted, weak, flaccid, 4–9 in. high, rarely more. Leaves numerous, usually overtopping the culms, flat, grassy, filiform, 1/30–1/20 in. broad. Spike oblong, short, dense, ⅓–½ in. long, ⅙ in. broad; male portion very short, inconspicuous, sometimes reduced to 1 or 2 flowers; female flowers 6–10; lowest glume produced into a setaceous bract usually far exceeding the spike. Glumes lanceolate, acuminate; keel greenish, 1-nerved; margins pale, thin and membranous. Stamens usually 2. Utricles slightly longer than the glumes, oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, glabrous, faintly nerved; bristle nearly twice the length of the utricle.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 102, t. 152; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 433; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 391.
South Island: Otago—Routeburn, Kirk! Clinton Valley, Petrie!
1 have followed Kukenthal in referring this to the Australian U. tenella, of which it has the slender flaccid habit. But it differs in the larger utricles, which ​are nearly twice the size, and in this respect approaches U. nervosa. Some specimens collected by Petrie at Kelly's Hill, Westlaiid, with shorter and more wiry leaves, and a rather longer spike are almost intermediate between the present plant and U. nervosa.
3. U. nervosa, Boott ex Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 102, t. 153a.—Culms densely tufted, slender, strict and wiry, 4–9 in. high, leafy at the base only. Leaves shorter than the culms, strict, erect, wiry, filiform, 1/40–1/30 in. diam.; margins involute. Spike much more slender than in U. compacta, and not so dense, ⅓–⅔ in. long, about ⅙ in. diam.; lowest glume sometimes produced into a filiform bract. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, subacute, pale-brown, keel distinctly 3-nerved or plicate; margins thin and membranous, almost scarious. Utricles equalling or slightly exceeding the glumes, oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, trigonous, glabrous, distinctly nerved; bristle about twice the length of the utricle. Nut trigonous.—U. compacta var. nervosa, C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 395. U. Cheesemaniana, Boeck. in Engl. Bot. Jahr. v. (1884) 521.
South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C. Otago—Maungatua, Petrie! 2000–5000 ft.
Very close to U. compacta, to which it is referred by Mr. Clarke, but differing in the more slender habit, strict filiform leaves, narrower spike, more membranous distinctly 3-nerved glumes, and usually longer many-nerved utricles. The Maungatua specimens are still more slender, and may be distinct.
4. U. compacta, R. Br. Prodr. 241.—Rhizome creeping, stoloniferous. Culms rather stout, rigid, obscurely trigonous, leafy towards the base, variable in size, in dry open or alpine situations often dwarfed to 2 in. or even less, in moist sheltered or shaded localities attaining 8–12 in. Leaves usually shorter than the stems but sometimes equalling or even exceeding them, subrigid, flat, grassy, striate, 1/12–1/8 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike short, stout, dense, oblong, ½–1 in. long by about ¼ in. diam., pale greenish-brown to chestnut-brown; the lowest glume sometimes produced into a leaf-like bract occasionally exceeding the spike. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute; keel greenish, 1–3-nerved; margins pale-brown, membranous. Stamens 3. Utricles about equalling the glumes, oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, trigonous, glabrous, smooth or faintly nerved, spreading when fullv ripe; bristle stout, about twice the length of the utricle. Nut trigonous.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 309; Fl. Tasm. ii. 102, t. 153b; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 434; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 394. U. divaricata, Boott ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 286. U. Clarkii, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1887) 185.
Var. Petriei, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Less rigid. Spike longer and not so dense, 1–2 in. long; bract usually overtopping the spike. Utricles smaller, more evidently stipitate. Otherwise as in the type.
​North Island: Mount Hikurangi, Adams and Petrie! Ruahine Range, Colenso, Petrie! Tararua Range, Buchanan! South Island: Abundant in mountain districts throughout. 1000–5500 ft. December—February.
A very variable plant. New Zealand specimens as a rule have rather paler and more acute glumes than is the case in the Australian U. compacta, constituting the U. divaricata of Boott. But I can see no other difference, and manv specimens are absolutely identical. Var. Petriei is connected with the type by numerous intermediates, between which it is impossible to draw a strict line of demarcation.
5. U. purpurata, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 272.—Culms tufted, slender or rather stout, scabrid above, leafy at the base, 6–14 in. high. Leaves usually shorter than the stems but sometimes equalling or even exceeding them, flat or slightly concave, grassy, striate, 1/20–1/12 broad; margins scabrid; sheaths at the base dusky-brown. Spike ¾–2 in. long, linear-oblong, usually dense, continuous. Male portion short, cylindric; bract absent, or present and exceeding the spike. Glumes oblong or obovate, obtuse or subacute, dark-brown with pale scarious margins, shorter than the utricle. Utricle lanceolate, tapering al both ends, plano-convex, quite glabrous, faintly nerved, about ¼ in. long; bristle nearly twice as long as the utricle.
Var. fusco-vaginata.—Leaves broader, 1/12–1/8 in. diam., equalling or overtopping the stems. Spike strict, linear, 1–1½ in. long; bract usually wanting. Glumes green or brown.—U. fusco-vaginata, Kukenthal in litt.
South Island: Otago—Not uncommon in mountain districts, Petrie! Kirk! Var. fusco-vaginata: Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C.; Mount Fyffe, Kirk! Arthur's Pass, Cockayne! T.F.C; Craigieburn Mountains, Cockayne! Mount Cardrona, Hector Mountains, Mount Ida, Petrie! 1000–4000 ft. December–January.
This appears to be intermediate between U. compacta and U. cæspitosa. The var. fusco-vaginata may be identical with U. compacta var. viridis, C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 395, of which I have seen no authenticated examples.
6. U. cæspitosa, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 287.—Culms tufted, slender, leafy, 6–14 in. high. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, very variable in width, from 1/15–1/8 broad; margins scabrid. Spike 1½–3 in. long, narrow-oblong or almost linear, rather dense or lax but not interrupted; male portion very short; bract variable, broad and foliaceous or narrow and setaceous. Glumes lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, membranous, green or pale-green, usually equalling the utricle. Utricles about ¼ in. long, oblong-lanceolate, suddenly narrowed above, smooth or faintlv nerved; bristle about twice the length of the utricle.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 310; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 393. U. horizontalis, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 334.
Var. minor, Kukenthal, MS.—Smaller and more slender. Leaves narrower. Spike shorter, much more slender.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: In hilly or mountainous localities from Hokianga southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 4000 ft. November–January.
An exceedingly variable plant, forms of which are not separated by any strict line of demarcation from U. purpurata, U. riparia, U. rupestris, and U. filiformis. Its chief characters are the rather broad flat leaves, not very lax narrow-oblong spike, pale-green glumes which are usually as long as the utricles or nearly so, and rather large oblong-lanceolate acuminate utricles, averaging ¼ in. long.
7. U. australis, Pers. Syn. ii. 534.—Culms densely tufted, tall, slender, smooth, 9–20 in. high, leafy at the base. Leaves long, usually considerably overtopping the culms, flat, striate, ⅛–¼ in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike linear-elongate, 3–6 in. long, ⅙–¼ in. broad, dense except sometimes at the base, cylindrical; male portion narrower, variable in length, occupying ⅓–⅙ of the spike; bract long, leafy, usually exceeding the spike. Glumes oblong-lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved, at first pale-green, but brown or chestnut in fruit, upper about equalling the utricle, lower sometimes exceeding it. Stamens 3. Utricle elliptic-oblong, narrowed at both ends, sometimes almost fusiform, triquetrous, faintly nerved; bristle stout, nearly twice the length of the utricle.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 286; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 287; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 309; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 393. U. compacta, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 118 (not of R. Br.). U. Lindleyana, Kunth, Enum. ii. 526. U. scaberrima, Nees in Linnæa, ix. (1834) 305. U. rigidula, Steud. Cyp. 245. U. alopecurioides, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 335 U. bracteata, Col. l.c. xvi. (1884) 341 U. polyneura, Col. l.c. xix. (1887) 270.
Var. clavata, Kukenthal, MS.—Spike clavate, often ½ in. broad at the top of the female portion; glumes densely crowded. Other characters as in the type.
Var. ferruginea, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Agreeing with the type in size and habit, but glumes longer and narrower, sometimes twice the length of the utricle, lanceolate or subulate-lanceolate, chestnut-brown with a green usually 3-nerved keel. Utricles with a longer beak.—U. ferruginea, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 288, t. 64b; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 309; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 394. U. nigra, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 253. U. variegata, Col. l.c. xx. (1888) 211.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands.—The typical form abundant throughout; var. ferruginea not uncommon from Te Aroha southwards. Var. clavata: Near Wellington, Kirk! Otira Gorge, Kirk! T.F.C.; Mount Cook district, T.F.C. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–February.
Easily recognised by the large size and very long cylindrical dense-flowered spike, I have followed Clarke and Kukenthal in uniting Boott's var. ferruginea with it, there being no differences of importance beyond the very variable one ​of the length of the glumes. I cannot distinguish the species described by Mr. Colenso even as varieties. U. australis is said to occur in the Sandwich Islands.
8. U. leptostachya, Raoul, Choix Pl. Nouv. Zel. 12, t. 5b.—Rhizome short. Culms densely tufted, slender, trigonous and scabrid above, leafy at the base, 1–2 ft. high; sheaths brown or purplish-red at the base. Leaves usually much longer than the culms, slender, flat, 1/12–1/10 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike 1½–5 in. long, very slender, lax-flowered; male portion short, almost filiform; bract setaceous or filiform, longer or shorter than the spike, sometimes wanting. Glumes laxly placed, often distant in the lower part of the spike, oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, from half as long to as long as the utricle, green or purplish-red, 1-nerved on the back, membranous. Utricle narrow-lanceolate or almost fusiform, trigonous, distinctly scabrid above, faintly nerved; bristle twice as long as the utricle.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 286; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 309; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 389. U. scabra, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 285. U. distans, Boott, l.c. 286. U. disticha, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 210xx. (1888) 210.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island.—From Mongonui southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–January.
The distinctly scabrid utricles at once separate this from all its allies. Its habit is that of coarse states of U. riparia.
9. U. riparia, R. Br. Prodr. 241.—Culms densely tufted, slender, leafy, trigonous, scabrid above, 9–20 in. high. Leaves equalling or exceeding the culms, flat or slightly involute, 1/20–1/10 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike 1½–4 in. long, linear, lax, often interrupted below, ⅛–⅙ in. broad; male portion variable in length; bract usually wanting but sometimes present and exceeding the spike. Glumes lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, pale, membranous, 1-nerved on the back, shorter than the utricle. Otricle lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed at the base, quite glabrous, faintly nerved, about ¼ in. long; bristle twice as long as the utricle.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 102, t. 152b; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 434; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 392. U. laxiflora, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 271. (?) U. obtusata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 341xvi. (1884) 341.
Var. Banksii, C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 392.—Leaves narrower, almost filiform, 1/30—1/20 in. broad. Glumes very short, often not more than half the length of the utricle. U. Banksii, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 287; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 310. U. capillaris, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 210.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: The typical form in hilly districts from Pirongia Mountain and Taranaki southwards, most plentiful towards the south of the South Island. Var. Banksii: Abundant in the North Island, especially northwards of the East Cape, less common in the South Island, but extending as far as Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–January.
​The best characters of this variable species are the tall leafy habit, narrow flat leaves, long and linear very lax spike, and pale glumes always shorter than the utricles. The typical state occurs in Victoria and Tasmania; var. Banksii is endemic.
10. U. rubra, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 287.—Whole plant red, red-purple, or brownish-red, usually forming a continuous sward. Culms 6–14 in. high, stout or slender, strict, rigid, leafy at the base, trigonous and scabrid above. Leaves much shorter than the culms, rarely equalling or exceeding them, flat or slightly involute, rigid or submembranous, striate, 1/20—1/15 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike 1–2 in. long, rigid, linear, lax, continuous or slightly interrupted towards the base; male portion short; bract wanting. Glumes oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, rigid, red or red-brown, slightly exceeding the utricle, obscurely 1-nerved on the back. Utricle lanceolate, tapering at both ends, glabrous, faintly nerved, about iin. long; bristle nearly twice as long as the utricle.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 310; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 390.
Var. rigida.—Very densely tufted, forming tussocks similar to those of a Juncus. Culms and leaves rigid, strict, erect, wiry, deeply grooved, the leaves deeply concave or involute. Spike 1½–3 in. long; bract leafy, usually exceeding the spike.—U. rigida, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1884) 271 (not of Boeck.).
North Island: Plains near Lake Taupo, summit of Titiokura, Colenso! South Island: Not uncommon in mountain districts. 500–4500 ft. December–February.
This is referred to U. riparia as var. rubra by Kukenthal, an opinion with which I cannot concur. It appears to me to be quite as distinct as most of the New Zealand species.
11. U. rupestris, Raoul, Choix Pl. Nouv. Zel. 13, t. 5a.—Culms densely tufted, slender, leafy at the base, 3–12 in. high. Leaves usually longer than the culms, flat or slightly involute, 1/25–1/15 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spike ½–2 in. long, 1/10–1/8 in. broad, linear, lax, continuous or slightly interrupted below; male portion usually ⅓ the length of the spike; bract often wanting, but sometimes present and exceeding the spike. Glumes lanceolate, acute, membranous, greenish-brown or chestnut, 1-nerved on the back, slightly shorter than the utricle; margins narrow, hyaline or scarious. Utricle lanceolate, attenuate above, quite glabrous, faintly nerved, about ⅕ in. long; bristle about twice as long as the utricle.—Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 286; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 310; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 392. U. Hookeri, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 91, t. 51.
North Island: Ruahine Mountains, Colenso! sources of the Tukituki River, inland Patea, Petrie! Tararua Mountains, H. H. Travers! South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C. Westland—Okarito, A. Hamilton! Otago—Not uncommon, Petrie! Kirk! Stewart Island: Kirk! Petrie! P. Goyen! Auckland and Campbell Islands: Hooker, Kirk! Sea-level to 3500 ft. December–January.
​Much too closely allied to U. riparia, from which it can only be separated by the smaller size, usually shorter spike, and by the glumes being often tinged with chestnut-brown or purplish-red, whereas they are usually green in the forms of U. riparia. From U. filiformis it is removed by the stouter habit, broader flat leaves, and rather stouter spike.
12. U. filiformis, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 286.—Culms densely tufted, extremely slender, filiform, 3–9 in. high, leafy towards the base. Leaves usually much exceeding the culms, very slender, filiform, 1/50–1/30 in. broad; margins involute, scabrid. Spike ½–1½ in. long, extremely slender, linear, lax, 1/15–1/10 in. broad; bract filiform, exceeding the spike. Glumes oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, membranous, pale, equalling the utricles or nearly so. Utricles ⅛–⅙ in. long, lanceolate, acuminate, smooth and glabrous, faintly nerved; bristle twice as long as the utricle.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 310; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 391. U. debilior, F. Muell. Fragm. Phyt. Austral. viii. 151; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 435.
North Island: Auckland—Pirongia Mountain, T.F.C. Hawke's Bay—Ruahine Mountains, Colenso! H. Hill! Petrie! Taranaki—Mount Egmont, Petrie! Wellington—Tararua Mountains, H. H. Travers! T. P. Arnold! South Island, Stewart Island: In hilly and mountain districts throughout, but not common. 1000–4500 ft. December–January.
In its usual state this can be recognised without much difficulty by its small size and very slender habit, filiform convolute leaves, small slender spikes, and small narrow utricles, which only slightly exceed the glumes. But large forms are indistinguishable from states of U. riparia, U. cæspitosa, and others. Mr. C. B. Clarke refers to it the U. debilior, F. Muell., from Lord Howe Island.
14. CAREX, Linn.
Perennial herbs. Culms erect, more or less trigonous or rarely terete, often scabrid on the angles. Leaves mostly radical, grass-like, usually scabrid on the margins and keel. Spikelets unisexual or bisexual, rarely diœcious, solitary or more commonly arranged in clusters or spikes, racemes or panicles, all androgynous or the upper male with rarely a few female flowers at the top or base, the lower female often with a few male flowers at the base or top. Glumes imbricate all round the axis. Male flowers of 3 stamens, without perianth or hypogynous bristles. Female flowers consisting of a compressed or trigonous ovary, included in a flask-shaped or urceolate 2-toothed organ called the utricle or perigynium; style-branches 2 or 3, long, filiform, protruding beyond the utricle. Nut lenticular or plano-convex or trigonous, enclosed in the persistent more or less enlarged utricle.
An immense genus of probably over 1200 species, of worldwide distribution, but most abundant in temperate regions, rare in the tropics, save on high mountains. Of the 53 species found in New Zealand, no less than 37 are endemic, the remaining 16 being mostly widely spread. In elaborating the New Zealand species for this work I have received great assistance from the two chief authorities on the genus—Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., of Kew, and Pastor Georg Kukenthal, of Grub, near Coburg. My warmest thanks are due to both.
| Section I. Spikelet solitary, simple, terminal. |
| Leaves flat, grassy. Spikelet oblong, many-flowered. Bract short or wanting | 1. C. pyrenaica. |
| Leaves terete, strict and wiry. Spikelet ovoid, fewflowered. Bract long | 2. C. acicularis. |
| Section II. Spikelets several or many, androgynous or rarely diœcious, sessile, arranged in a compact or more or less interrupted spike, less often in a dense or rarely lax panicle. Styles 2. |
| * Male flowers at the top of the spikelets. |
| Small, ½–2 in. Spikelets 2–4, compacted into an ovoid head ¼–½ in. long. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, conspicuously winged | 3. C. pterocarpa. |
| Slender, 2–12 in. Leaves almost filiform. Spikelets 3–8, in a dense or lax spike ¼–1 in. long. Utricles ovate-lanceolate, beaked, nerved, minutely papillose | 4. C. Kirkii. |
| Usually stout, 6–14 in. Leaves flat, grassy. Spikelets 4–10 in a dense spike ½–1 in. long. Utricles ovoid, beaked, strongly nerved, minutely papillose | 5. C. trachycarpa. |
| Slender, strict, wiry, 6–18 in. Spikelets 6–10 in a linear spike ½–1½ in. long. Utricles narrow-lanceolate, nerved, winged above, tapering into a long subulate beak | 6. C. Muelleri. |
| Slender 1–3 ft. Spikelets many, in a lax panicle, 4–9 in. long, sometimes reduced to a spike 3–5 in. Utricles narrow-lanceolate, tapering into a long subulate beak | 7. C. kaloides. |
| Slender, laxly tufted, 1–2 ft. Spikelets many, in a dense or interrupted oblong spike ¾–1¼ in. long. Utricles ovoid, swollen at the base, shining, ribbed on the back, contracted into a rather long beak | 8. C. teretiuscula. |
| Stout, harsh, 1–3 ft. Culms acutely triquetrous. Leaves ⅕–½ in. broad. Spikelets many, in a stout spike-like panicle 3–7 in. long. Utricles ovoid, conspicuously nerved | 9. C. appressa. |
| Slender, harsh, 1–3 ft. Leaves ⅛–¼ in. broad. Spikelets many, in a linear spike-like panicle 6-18 in. long. Utricles ovoid, conspicuously nerved | 10. C. virgata. |
| Slender, drooping, 2–4 ft. Spikelets very numerous in a much and laxly branched nodding panicle 1–2½ ft. long. Utricles broadly ovoid, smooth or indistinctly nerved | 11. C. secta. |
| ** Male flowers at the base of the spikelets. |
| Slender, 4–18 in. Leaves flat, grassy. Spikelets 2–5, pale-green, compacted into a short head or spike. Utricles ovoid, nerved, narrowed into a long beak | 12. C. inversa. |
| Small, depressed, ½–3 in. Leaves involute, wiry. Spikelets 2–3 or solitary. Utricles ovoid at the base; beak very long | 13. C. resectans. |
| Slender, 3–14 in. Leaves involute, wiry. Spikelets 2–4, brown, compacted into a short head. Utricles broadly ovoid, smooth, nerveless, not beaked | 14. C. Colensoi. |
| Slender, 4–18 in. Leaves flat, grassy. Spikelets 3–5, green, approximate or a little remote. Utricles spreading, narrow-ovoid, spongy at the base, nerved, beaked | 15. C. echinata. |
| Short, 2–8 in. Leaves flat, grassy. Spikelets 2–4, red-brown, in a dense spike ½ in. long. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, not winged, faintly nerved; beak short | 16. C. lagopina. ​ |
| Stout or slender, 6–18 in. Leaves flat, grassy. Spikelets 4–6, brownish-green, compacted into a lobed spike ¾–1 in. long. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, winged, narrowed into a long beak | 17. C. leporina. |
| Section III. Spikelets distinct, usually stalked, unisexual; the male spikelets constantly uppermost, rarely mixed with female flowers; the lower spikelets all female or with a few male flowers at the base or apex. |
| * Styles 2. Nut lenticular or biconvex, not trigonous. |
| † Female spikelets with the male flowers (when present) at the top of the spikelet, very rarely below. Utricles much compressed, conspicuously nerved; beak very short, with an entire or very minutely 2-toothed mouth. |
| Culms 3–14 in. Spikelets 3–5, ¼–¾ in. long, sessile or the lowest very shortly stalked. Glumes obtuse. Utricles minutely granular-papillose | 18. C. Gaudichaudiana |
| Culms 1–2 ft. Spikelets 4–8, 1–3 in. long, the lower ones stalked. Glumes mucronate or even aristate | 19. C. subdola. |
| Culms tall, stout or slender, 1–4 ft. Basal leaf-sheaths transversely fibrillose. Spikelets 8–24, 1–4 in. long, geminate or ternate or quinate, long-stalked and pendulous. Glumes aristate | 20. C. ternaria. |
| Culms slender, 6–18 in. Basal leaf-sheaths not transversely fibrillose. Spikelets 4–6, ½–1½ in. long, solitary or the upper geminate. Glumes scarcely mucronate. Utricle not granular-papillose | 21. C. Sinclairii. |
| †† Female spikelets with the male flowers (when present) at the base of the spikelet, very rarely at the top. Utricle plano-convex or unequally biconvex, beak obviously 2-toothed. |
| a. Terminal spikelet always mixed with female flowers. |
| Culms laxly tufted, 9–18 in. Leaves broad, ⅙–¼ in. Spikelets 4–8, stout. Utricles elliptic, sharply serrate above | 22. C. Raoulii. |
| b. Terminal spikelet very rarely mixed with female flowers. |
| Culms slender, 1–2 ft. Spikelets 4–7, ½–1 in. long. Glumes orbicular-ovate, obtuse. Utricles densely packed, spreading when ripe, unequally biconvex; margins smooth | 23. C. dipsacea. |
| Culms filiform, 6–18 in., often elongating and prostrate in fruit. Spikelets 3–5, ½–1 in. long, approximate. Utricles plano-convex or nearly so, obscurely nerved; margins serrate above | 24. C. testacea. |
| Culms rather stout, 4–8 in., much overtopped by the leaves. Spikelets 3–6, closely approximate, ⅓–1 in. long. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, strongly nerved, unequally biconvex; margins usually smooth | 25. C. Wakatipu. |
| Culms laxly tufted, 6–18 in. Leaves short. Spikelets 2–4, male very stout, clavate. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex, strongly nerved, purplish-black | 26. C. devia. |
| Culms very slender, 6–18 in., often elongating in fruit. Leaves long, flat, keeled. Spikelets 4–8, ½–2 in. long, narrow; male slender. Utricles narrow-elliptic, turgid, obscurely nerved; margins smooth | 27. C. lucida. ​ |
| Culms reddish, densely tufted, 1–2 ft. Leaves strict, semiterete. Spikelets 4–6, ½–1½ in. long. Glumes pale. Utricles elliptic, plano-convex; margins serrate | 28. C. Buchanani. |
| Culms very short, 1–4 in. Spikelets 4–5, ⅕–⅓ in. long, approximate, almost concealed by the leaves. Utricles narrow elliptic-ovoid, piano convex, narrowed into a long acutely bidentate beak | 28. C. cirrhosa. |
| Culms very short, 1–4 in. Spikelets 4–5, ⅕–¼ in. long, closely approximate. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, turgid, unequally biconvex; beak very short | 30. C. rubicunda. |
| * Styles 3. Nut trigonous. (Styles often 2 in C. Berggreni.) |
| † Utricles glabrous (or the margins serrate above), hardly spreading when ripe. |
| a. Small species. Culms 1–5 in. high, overtopped by the leaves. Spikelets 3–4, closely approximate, often concealed by the leaves. |
| Reddish. Culms very short, ½–1½ in. Leaves 1–2 in. × 1/15–1/12 in., linear, flat, obtuse. Utricles elliptic, biconvex or obscurely trigonous; margins smooth; beak short. Styles often 2 | 31. C. Berggreni. |
| Green. Culms 1–3 in. Leaves 1/20 in. broad, acute. Utricles narrow-ovoid, trigonous; margins serrate; beak rather long | 32. C. Hectori. |
| Glaucous-green. Culms 1–3 in. Leaves 2–6 in. × 1/30–1/15 in. Utricles broadly ovoid, plano-convex; margins serrate; beak short | 33. C. decurtata. |
| Brownish-red or green. Culms 1–5 in. Leaves much longer, 3–10 in. × 1/30–1/15 in.; tips often curled and twisted. Utricles elliptic-oblong, trigonous; margins smooth; beak very short | 34. C. uncifolia. |
| b. Slender; culms 6–16 in. high. Leaves narrow, 1/30–1/12 in. broad, plano-convex or nearly so. Male spikelets solitary. |
| Culms 4–10 in. Leaves usually shorter, narrow. Spikelets 3–5, distant. Utricles narrow-ovoid, trigonous; margins smooth; beak short | 35. C. Dallii. |
| Culms 5–15 in. Leaves with broad sheathing bases, tips curled and twisted. Glumes pale. Utricles narrow-ovoid, unequally biconvex; margins smooth; beak short | 36. C. Petriei. |
| Culms 6–18 in., filiform. Leaves shorter or longer than the culms. Utricles elliptic-lanceolate, plano-convex; margins sharply serrate; beak long | 37. C. comans. |
| Culms 4–9 in. Leaves much longer, 12–20 in. Spikelets 5–6, closely approximate, pale. Utricles elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex; margins smooth; beak rather long | 38. C. plesiostachys. |
| Culms 9–24 in. Spikelets 3–5, short, bread. Utricles broadly ovoid, turgid, biconvex; margins smooth; beak short | 39. C. litorosa. |
| c. Tall, stout or slender; culms 1–3 ft. high or more. Leaves flat or keeled, ⅛–½ in. broad. Male spikelets usually more than one (except in C. dissita). |
| Culms stout or slender, 1–2½ ft. Leaves ¼–⅓ in. broad. Spikelets 4–8, distant, on short peduncles, the lower rarely compound. Male spikelet solitary | 40. C. dissita. ​ |
| Culms slender, 2–3 ft., often elongating in fruit. Leaves 1/10–1/8 in., keeled. Spikelets 5–10, distant; terminal 2–4 male; female slender, pendulous on long filiform peduncles, lower often compound | 41. C. Solandri. |
| Culms stout. Leaves broad. Spikelets 8; terminal 2–3 male; females erect on short peduncles, not compound | 42. C. ventosa. |
| Culms stout, 2–3 ft. Leaves ⅙–⅕ in. broad. Spikelets 5–7; 2 terminal male; female short and stout, ⅓ in. diam., the lowest remote. Utricles ovoid | 43. C. longiculmis. |
| Culms very tall and robust, 2–4 ft. Leaves ⅓–½ in. broad. Spikelets 6–12, 2–5 in. long, very stout; terminal 2–4 male. Utricles stipitate, obovoid-oblong | 44. C. trifida. |
| †† Utricles pubescent, hardly spreading when ripe; beak short. Nut with a swollen style-base. |
| Culms 1–4 in. high, overtopped by the leaves. Spikelets 2–5, small, green, closely approximate | 45. C. breviculmis. |
| ††† Utricles glabrous, spreading when ripe; beak short. |
| Rhizome long, creeping. Culms 4–8 in. Leaves much longer, glaucous. Spikelets 3–6. Utricles large, ¼ in. long, ovoid, turgid, corky, smooth | 46. C. pumila. |
| Rhizome tufted. Culms 6–16 in., slender. Leaves shorter. Spikelets 3–4, small. Utricles ⅛ in. long, broadly oblong, turgid, strongly nerved, dark-brown | 47. C. Brownii. |
| †††† Utricles glabrous, spreading when ripe (except in C. vaccilans), strongly costate-nerved, narrowed into a long and slender acutely 2-toothed beak (beak shorter and obscurely toothed in C. Cockayniana). |
| Yellowish-green. Culms 2–8 in. Spikelets 3–8, small, stout, approximate. Utricles suddenly nSrrowed into a long beak | 48. C. flava. |
| Culms slender, 1–2 ft. Leaves harsh. Spikelets 4–9, distant, very slender, about ⅛ in. broad. Utricles fusiform, hardly spreading | 49. C. vaccilans. |
| Culms rather slender, 1–2 ft. Leaves harsh. Spikelets 5–8, distant, ⅕–¼ in. broad; terminal one often mixed with female flowers. Utricles elliptic-lanceolate; beak short, obscurely 2-toothed | 50. C. Cockayniana. |
| Culms stout or slender, 1–3 ft. Leaves harsh. Spikelets 5–9, distant or the upper approximate; terminal one always largely mixed with female flowers. Utricles elliptic-lanceolate; beak long | 51. C. semi-Forsteri. |
| Culms stout, 1½–3 ft. Leaves harsh. Spikelets 5–9, distant; terminal 1–3 wholly male. Utricles ellipticoblong; beak long | 52. C. Forsteri. |
| Culms stout or slender, 1–3 ft. Leaves soft, grassy. Spikelets 3–5, approximate or the lowermost remote; terminal one male. Utricles ovate-lanceolate, stipitate; beak long, linear, with 2 almost pungent teeth | 53. C. pseudo-cyperus. |
C. Haastiana, Boeckel. in Flora (1878), 168, collected by Haast in the South Island, and C. Krullii, Boeckel. l.c. (1882) 59, gathered by Krull in the Chatham Islands, are unknown to me. I have also failed to identify C. quadrangulata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 254. C. divisa, Huds.; C. muricata, L. (but not of Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. 411); C. flacca, Schreb. (C. glauca, Scop.); and C. longifolia, R. Br., are certainly not indigenous, and will be found in the list of naturalised species given at the end of this work.
​1. C. pyrenaica, Wahl. in Vet. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. (1803) 139.—Culms slender, densely tufted, leafy at the base, 2–9 in. high, rarely more. Leaves numerous, longer or shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, 1/25–1/15 in. broad, grooved beneath; margins scabrid. Spikelet solitary, terminal, dark chestnut-brown, ⅓–¾ in. long, oblong or elliptic-oblong, densely many-flowered; male flowers at the top; bract wanting or very short. Glumes membranous, deciduous; of the female flowers ovate or ovate-oblong, acute or obtuse, shorter than the utricle; of the males narrower, linear-oblong, subacute. Utricle stipitate, lanceolate or almost fusiform, gradually narrowed into an obliquely bifid beak, unequally biconvex or almost plano-convex, smooth, spreading or reflexed when ripe. Styles usually 2 in New Zealand examples, usually 3 in European or American. Nut oblong, lenticular.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 280; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 312; Boott, Ill. Car. iv. 148, t. 475, 476; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 424.
North Island: Ruahine Mountains, Colenso! E. W. Andrews! South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur, Mount Peel, Raglan Mountains, T.F.C. Canterbury—Mountains above Arthur's Pass, Mount Dobson Range, Mount Cook district, T.F.C. Westland—Kelly's Hill, Petrie! Otago— Mountains of the Lake district, Buchanan! common on the higher mountains of the central and western districts, Petrie! 3500–6500 ft. December–March.
Also in Europe, Japan, and western North America from Alaska to Utah.
2. C. acicularis, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 280, t. 63c.—Culms slender, strict, wiry, terete, densely tufted, leafy at the base, 1–6 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms or equalling them, narrow, strict, rigid, straight or curved, almost terete, grooved down the front, obtuse and slightly scabrid at the tip. Spikelet small, solitary, terminal, ⅙–⅓ in. long, broadly ovoid, red-brown, few-flowered; females 2–8; males 2–4 at the top of the spikelet. Glumes lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or the lower ones awned, keel green or pale-brown. Utricle shortly stipitate, lanceolate, narrowed above into a rather long beak, obtusely triquetrous; beak serrate, obliquely bifid at the tip. Styles 3, seldom 2. Nut pale, trigonous.—Boott Ill. Car. iv. 157, t. 508, f. 2; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 312; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 437; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 424. C. Archeri, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 98, t. 150; Ill. Car. iv. 156, t. 508, f. 3. C. inconspicua, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 612.
North Island: Mount Hikurangi, Adams and Petrie! Tongariro, Herb. Colenso! Ruahine Mountains, Colenso! Olsen! E. W. Andrews! South Island: Not uncommon on the mountains of Nelson, Canterbury, and Westland. Otago—Mountains above Lake Harris, Kirk! Old Man Range, Petrie! 2500–5000 ft. December–March.
Easily distinguished from C. pyrenaica by the strict nearly terete leaves, smaller few-flowered spikelet, and erect subulate bract. It is also found in Victoria and Tasmania.
​3. C. pterocarpa, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1899) 353.—A dwarf species, forming depressed patches 3–5 in. diam. Rhizome stout, creeping, clothed with dark-brown scales. Culms very short, stout, densely tufted, ½–1 in. long, rarely more. Leaves sheathing the culms to the top and much exceeding them, ½–2 in. long, 1/12–1/8 in. broad, tapering upwards to an acute point, somewhat rigid and coriaceous, flat or involute, deeply grooved; margins scabrid above. Spikelets 2–4, compacted into a broadly ovoid head ¼–½ in. long, androgynous, pale brownish-green, ⅙–⅕ in. long; lowest bract usually with a foliaceous tip. Glumes ovate, acute, membranous, with a pale-green centre and brown margins. Male flowers at the top of the spikelets, female flowers below. Utricle elliptic-ovoid, planoconvex, conspicuously winged, strongly nerved, narrowed upwards into a bifid beak; margins and beak serrulate. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, lenticular.—C. Thomsoni, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 298 (not of Boott).
South Island: Otago—Hector Mountains, Mount Pisa, Old Man Range, Petrie! 4500–6500 ft.
A very distinct little plant.
4. C. Kirkii, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 297.—Rhizome stout, woody, creeping. Culms short, densely tufted, slender, smooth, leafy throughout, ½–3 in. high. Leaves sheathing the whole or greater part of the culm and much longer than it, 2–6 in. long, pale-green, involute, filiform, usually strict and wiry. Spikelets 3–5, compacted into a dense oblong spike ¼–½ in. long, sessile, androgynous, pale-green, few-flowered, ⅕–¼ in. long; bract usually foliaceous. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, membranous, with a green midrib and pale margins. Male flowers 2–3 at the top of the spikelets, sometimes absent in the lower ones; female flowers 3–5 at the base. Utricle ovate-lanceolate, planoconvex, narrowed into a rather long bifid beak, strongly nerved, coriaceous, minutely papillose all over; margins and beak very finely crenulate. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, lenticular.
Var. membranacea, Kukenthal, MS.—Taller. Leaves 6–10 in. long, sheathing nearly the whole of the culm and twice as long as it. Spikelets 5–6, forming a loose spike ¾–1 in. long. Utricle more membranous, narrower, with a longer and more tapering beak.
Var. elatior, Kuthenthal, MS.—Still taller, the culms 6–12 in. long, the upper half not sheathed by the leaves. Leaves 9–18 in. long, broader, sometime 1/15 in., flat or involute at the base. Spikelets 4–8 in a lax spike ¾–1½ in. long, the lowest sometimes remote. Utricle as in var. membranacea, but more coriaceous.
South Island: The typical form apparently not uncommon in mountain districts from the Clarence Valley to the south of Otago. Var. membranacea: Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C. Var. elatior: Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C.; Mount St. Bathan's (Otago), Petrie! 2500–4500 ft. December–March.
​An exceedingly variable plant. Depauperated states, with few-flowered spikelets, are easily mistaken for C. resectans, although the position of the male flowers at once separates the two plants. Var. elatior approaches C. trachycarpa, but is smaller and more slender, with narrower leaves, the inflorescence is much more lax, and the utricles are smaller and narrower.
5. C. trachycarpa, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 413.—Culms densely tufted, stout or rather slender, trigonous, scabrid above, 6–14 in. high. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, striate, 1/12—1/8 in. broad; margins slightly scabrid above. Spikelets 4–10, compacted into an oblong or linear-oblong spike ½–1 in. long, androgynous, brown or pale-brown, ovoid, ⅕–⅓ in. long; lowest bract leafy, shorter or longer than the spike. Glumes ovate, acuminate or awned, pale-chestnut or pale-brown, with pale-green midribs and hyaline margins. Male flowers at the top of the spikelets, usually few. Utricle ovoid, plano-convex, narrowed into a short bifid beak, strongly nerved, minutely papillose all over; margins finely crenulate above. Styles 2. Nut oblong, lenticular.—C. muricata, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 411, 427 (not of Linn.).
South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur, Mount Peel, Mount Owen, T.F.C.; Mount Mantell, Townson! 3000–4500 ft. December–March.
In my revision of the New Zealand species I erroneously referred this to C. muricata, from which it differs altogether in the much smaller differently shaped utricles, which do not spread when ripe, and are minutely papillose on both surfaces. Its nearest ally is C. Kirkii var. elatior.
6. C. Muelleri, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 298.—Pale whitish-green. Rhizome stout, woody, creeping. Culms densely tufted, slender, strict and wiry, terete below, compressed or plano-convex above, grooved, perfectly smooth, 6–24 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, narrow, 1/25 in. broad, strict and wiry, concave in front, convex on the back, grooved; margins smooth or slightly scabrid above. Inflorescence nearly diœcious or altogether so; spikelets 6–10, collected into a linear terminal spike ½–1½ in. long, sessile, few-flowered, about ¼ in. long; those of the male plant with an occasional female flower or altogether unisexual, those of the female sometimes with a staminate flower at the top of the spikelets; bracts short. Glumes lanceolate, acuminate or awned, thin and membranous, pale whitish-green. Utricle narrow-lanceolate, plano-convex, nerved, winged above and tapering into a very long bidentate beak, both surfaces minutely papillose above; margins ciliate-serrate. Styles 2. Nut linear-oblong, smooth, lenticular.—C. viridis, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 332; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 428 (not of Schlecht. and Cham.).
South Island: Nelson—Clarence Valley, T.F.C.; valley of the Stanley, Kirk! Canterbury—Mackenzie Plains, Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, T.F.C. Otago—Rough Ridge, Clarke's Diggings, Carrick Range, Nevis Valley, Mount Cardrona, Petrie! 2000–4000 ft. December–February.
​Easily distinguished by the strict whitish-green culms and leaves, almost diœcious inflorescence, and long and narrow utricles. It and C. kaloides are close allies of the North American and north Asiatic C. siccata, Dewey.
7. C. kaloides, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 332.—Pale-green, forming tussocks very similar to those of Poa australis. Culms densely tufted, slender, drooping at the tips, obtusely trigonous, grooved, smooth, leafy towards the base, 1–3 ft. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, 1/12–1/8 in. broad, flat or involute, grassy, deeply grooved; margins scabrid above. Inflorescence in small specimens forming a lax linear spike 3–5 in. long; in larger ones a panicle 4–9 in.; branches few, the lowest sometimes 2 in. long. Spikelets ¼–⅓ in. long, numerous, usually rather distant, pale, few-flowered, either androgynous with the male flowers at the top, or some (usually the upper) wholly male; and others (usually the lower) wholly female; bracts very long, foliaceous, often exceeding the panicle. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, long-acuminate, membranous, pale, almost hyaline. Utricle narrow-lanceolate, narrowed at the base, plano-convex, nerved, gradually tapering upwards into a long subulate bidentate beak, the margins of which are ciliate-serrate. Styles 2. Nut dark-brown, oblong, lenticular.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 429.
South Island: Not uncommon in mountain districts throughout. 800–3500 ft. December–February.
Closely allied to the preceding species, but amply distinct in the larger size and coarser habit, broader flatter leaves, and usually paniculate inflorescence.
8. C. teretiuscula, Good. in Trans. Linn. Soc. ii. (1794) 163.—Rhizome creeping and rooting. Culms laxly tufted, not forming dense tussocks, 1–2 ft. high, slender, wiry, triquetrous, grooved, scabrid above. Leaves shorter than the culms, 1/20–1/12 in. broad, flat, grassy, deeply grooved; margins scabrid. Spikelets small, ovoid, few-flowered, androgynous, male flowers few at the top, brown or brownish-green, collected into a linear-oblong or linear dense or interrupted compound spike ¾–1¼ in. long; bract usually obsolete. Glumes almost equalling the utricles, ovate, acute, membranous, pale-brown; margins broad, pale. Utricle rather small, shortly stipitate, ovoid, gibbous or almost cordate at the base, plano-convex or unequally biconvex, brown, shining, smooth on the flat face, more or less distinctly ribbed on the convex side, narrowed into a rather long almost winged serrate bidentate beak. Styles 2. Nut obovoid, biconvex.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 281; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 313; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 427.
North Island: Swampy places from Lake Taupo southwards, not common. South Island: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft. December–March.
​A common plant in the north temperate zone, but south of the equator only known from New Zealand. It is easily distinguished by the slender wiry habit, usually dense spike-like panicles, small spikelets male at the top, and ovoid turgid long-beaked utricles, smooth on one side, but ribbed on the other.
9. C. appressa, R. Br. Prodr. 242.—Very stout, harsh and rigid. Rhizome short, creeping. Culms densely tufted, 1–3 ft. high, stout, with the leaves often ½ in. diam. at the base, rigid, grooved, acutely triquetrous with the angles sharply scabrid, leafy at the base. Leaves numerous, usually exceeding the culms, ⅕–½ in. broad, hard, rigid, acutely keeled, grooved; keel and margins scabrid with minute recurved denticles. Spikelets small, very numerous, few-flowered, androgynous, male flowers at the top, collected in a long and narrow spike-like panicle 3–7 in. long, the primary branches erect and appressed to the rhachis; bract obsolete. Glumes broadly ovate, acute, concave, membranous, brownish with a pale line down the centre; margins not silvery. Utricle shortly stipitate, broadly ovate, plano-convex, conspicuously many-nerved on each face, contracted into a short 2-toothed beak; margins broad, incurved, conspicuously ciliate-denticulate. Styles 2. Nut elliptic-ovoid, biconvex.—Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 90; Fl. Tasm. ii. 99; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 313; Boott, Ill. Car. i. 46, t. 119, 120. C. paniculata, F. Muell. Veg. Chath. Is. 57; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 440 (not of Linn.). C. paniculata var. appressa, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 427.
South Island: Otago—Near Dunedin, Petrie! G. M. Thomson! Catlin's River, Petrie; Milford Sound, Hector. Stewart Island: G. M. Thomson! Chatham Islands: H. H. Travers! (Panicle larger and laxer, with paler glumes—perhaps a different species, but specimens very immature.) Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Abundant, Sir J. D. Hooker, Kirk! November–February.
In my revision of the New Zealand species I followed Baron Mueller and Mr. Bentham in reducing this and the two following species to the northern C. paniculata, to which all three are certainly very closely allied. C. appressa differs mainly in its greater size, harsher and more rigid habit, broader leaves, longer and more rigid panicle with the branches closely appressed, darker glumes without silvery margins, and by the more strongly nerved utricles, with broader margins. Although these differences are not important, they appear to be constant, and on the whole it is perhaps best to treat both C. appressa and the two following species as distinct from C. paniculata, although closely related to it. C. appressa is also found in temperate Australia and Tasmania.
10. C. virgata, Sol. ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 282.—Culms densely tufted, 1–3 ft. high, trigonous with the angles sharply scabrid, grooved, leafy at the base. Leaves numerous, much exceeding the culms, ⅛–¼ in. broad, harsh and rigid, grooved, sharply keeled below, flat above; margins scabrid with numerous sharp recurved denticles. Spikelets small, very numerous, few-flowered, androgynous with the male flowers at the top, arranged in a long and slender spike-like panicle 6–18 in. long; primary ​branches of the panicle rigid, erect, closely appressed to the rhachis, the lower usually remote and sometimes conspicuously so. Glumes almost equalling the utricles, broadly ovate, acute or acuminate, concave, membranous, brown with a narrow pale line down the centre; margins not silvery. Utricle stipitate, ovoid or triangular-ovoid, often subcordate at the base, plano-convex, conspicuously many-nerved on both faces, contracted into a short 2-toothed beak; margins incurved, conspicuously ciliate-denticulate. Styles 2. Nut broadly ovoid, biconvex.—Boott, Ill. Car. i. 46, t. 121, 122; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 313. C. paniculata var. virgata, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 427. C. collata, Boott in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. iii. (1844) 417 (name only).
North and South Islands: Abundant in swamps throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–January.
Very close to C. appressa, but the culms are more slender and not bo acutely triquetrous, the leaves are narrower, and the panicle much longer and narrower, and not so dense.
11. C. secta, Boott in. Hook f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 281.—A very large species. Rhizomes matted, often forming trunk-like masses 2–4 ft. high and much resembling the stem of a tree-fern. Culms 2–4 ft., slender, inclined or drooping above, trigonous with the angles scabrid, grooved, leafy at the base. Leaves numerous, as long or longer than the culms, 1/10–1/6 in. broad, grooved, keeled below, flat above; margins scabrid. Spikelets very numerous, pale-brown, small, few-flowered, androgynous with the male flowers at the top, arranged in a much and laxly branched often decompound nodding panicle 1–2½ ft. long; the primary divisions usually very long and slender, much branched, the spikelets often remote on the branches. Glumes almost equalling the utricles, broadly ovate, acuminate or cuspidate, thin and membranous, pale-brown with a paler line down the centre and scarious hyaline margins. Utricles rather smaller than those of C. virgata, shortly stipitate, broadly ovoid, turgid, plano-convex or unequally biconvex, polished and shining, quite smooth or very indistinctly nerved, contracted into a rather broad 2-toothed beak, the margins of which are ciliate-denticulate. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, biconvex.—Ill. Car. i. 47, t. 123, 124. C. virgata var. secta, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 313. C. paniculata var. secta, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 428.
North and South Islands: Abundant in swamps from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 2500 ft. November–January.
Easily distinguished from C. virgata by the much larger and laxly branched often decompound nodding panicles, and by the smaller utricles, which are smooth and shining or very indistinctly nerved. The immense tussocks formed by the matted rootstocks are very conspicuous objects in swampy districts, and have had the local name of "nigger-heads" applied to them.
​12. C. inversa, R. Br. Prodr. 242.—Rhizomes long, creeping, often matted and forming a continuous sward. Culms numerous, weak, slender, usually erect, variable in height, 4–18 in., smooth, striate, obtusely trigonous, leafy towards the base. Leaves shorter than the culms, flat or keeled, grassy, 1/25–1/16 in. broad; margins usually smooth. Spikelets 2–5, crowded into a terminal cluster or spike, rarely a little remote, androgynous, pale-green, ovoid, ¼–⅓ in. long; bracts to the 2 or 3 lower ones long and leafy, far overtopping the inflorescence. Glumes ovate, acuminate or cuspidate, membranous, with a narrow green keel and pale almost hyaline margins. Male flowers at the base of the spikelets, usually few, sometimes absent. Utricle compressed, ovate, plano-convex, narrowed into a rather long beak, more or less distinctly nerved on both faces; margins serrulate above; beak 2-fid. Styles 2. Nut lenticular.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 281; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 312; Boott, Ill. Gar. iv. 151, t. 488; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 425. C. smaragdina, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 398.
North and South Islands: From Mongonui southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–May.
Recogfiised without any difficulty by the slender grassy habit, pale spikelets male at the base, and compressed plano-convex beaked utricles. It is a common Australian plant.
13. C. resectans, heesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 413.—Forming broad depressed patches often many feet in diam. Rhizome stout, woody, creeping, much branched, clothed with the fibrous remains of the old leaf-sheaths. Culms very short, usually from ½ to 1½ in. high, rarely more, frequently almost wanting. Leaves few, sheathing the whole length of the culm and much longer than it, narrow, sometimes almost filiform, involute; margins scabrid. Spikelets 2–3 or solitary, crowded into a compact head ¼ in. long, pale-green, androgynous; bracts 2–3, very long and leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, acuminate or cuspidate; margins thin, pale; keel stout, 1–3-nerved. Male flowers 1–3 at the base of the spikelet, sometimes absent; female flowers 3–8. Utricle ovate below, plano-convex, strongly nerved, narrowed upwards into a long tapering serrate deeply bifid beak. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, plano-convex or obscurely trigonous.—C. inversa var. radicata, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 425.
South Island: Canterbury—Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, T.F.C. Otago—Common in the dry upland plains of the interior, Petrie! 500–3000 ft. December–March.
Very close to C. inversa, of which Mr. C. B. Clarke considers it to be a variety, but separated by the much smaller size and more rigid habit, wiry almost filiform leaves, short culms sheathed to the top by the leaves, and ​long-beaked utricles, which are very sharply toothed above. Depauperated states of C. Kirkii resemble it in habit, but can be distinguished by the male flowers being at tbe top of the spikelets.
14. C. Colensoi, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 281, t. 63b.—Rhizome stout, woody, creeping, often much branched. Culms 3–14 in. high, very slender, almost filiform, weak, flexuous, trigonous, deeply grooved, leafy towards the base. Leaves usually shorter than the culms, but sometimes equalling or even exceeding them, narrow, 1/30–1/20 in. wide at the base, wiry; margins involute. Spikelets 2–4 or solitary, compacted into a terminal cluster, androgynous, broadly ovoid, turgid, dark-brown, ¼–⅓ in. long; bracts 1 or 2, unequal. Glumes broadly ovate, acute or the lower ones cuspidate, membranous; keel narrow, green; sides chestnut-brown; margins broad, white and hyaline. Male flowers at the base of the spikelets, female flowers above. Utricle broadly ovate, plano-convex, not beaked, brown when ripe, smooth, indistinctly nerved; margins serrate above. Styles 2. Nut elliptic-oblong, smooth.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 312; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 425. C. picta, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxi. (1889) 103.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon in hilly districts from the Upper Thames southwards. Sea-level to 4500 ft. November–March.
Also in south-eastern Australia, according to Mr. C. B. Clarke.
15. C. echinata, Murr. Prodr. Stirp. Gotting. 76.— Culms more or less densely tufted, slender, trigonous, leafy at the base, 4–18 in. high. Leaves usually shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, grooved, 1/25–1/15 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spikelets 3–5, approximate in a terminal spike or a little remote, sessile, androgynous, green or pale-brown, about ¼ in. long when mature; lowest bract short, subulate. Glumes ovate, acute or obtuse, membranous, pale-brown or green with a dark-green centre. Male flowers at the base of the spikelets, usually few; females more numerous. Utricle yellowish-green, much longer than its glume, spreading when ripe, giving the spikelet a squarrose appearance, ovate-lanceolate from a rounded and spongy base, plano-convex, many-nerved, narrowed above into a long bidentate beak; margins of the beak acute, minutely scabrid, or nearly smooth in most of the New Zealand specimens. Styles 3. Nut lenticular.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 439; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 426. C. stellulata, Good. in Trans. Linn. Soc. ii. (1794) 144; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 281; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 312. C. debilis, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 412 (name only).
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Marshy places from the Upper Thames Valley southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 4000 ft. November–March.
Widely distributed in the temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere, but only known from Australia and New Zealand in the Southern.
​16. C. lagopina, Wahl. in Vet. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. (1803) 145.—Culms densely tufted, short, wiry, smooth or scabrid above, leafy at the base, 2–8 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, grooved, 1/20–1/10 in. broad; margins smooth or nearly so. Spikelets 2–4, rarely more, approximate in a short terminal spike about ½ in. long, sessile, androgynous, red-brown, about ⅕ in. long; lowest bract short, not exceeding its spikelet. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse or subacute, membranous, red-brown with a green midrib and pale hyaline margins. Male flowers at the base of the spikelets, females above. Utricle rather longer than its glume, red-brown, elliptic-ovate, plano-convex, not winged, faintly nerved, rather abruptly narrowed into a short slender beak. Styles 2. Nut broad, lenticular.—Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. (1894) 262; Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 593. C. Parkeri, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 332; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 426.
South Island: Nelson—Dun Mountain Range, H. H. Travers! Canterbury—Craigieburn Mountains, Petrie! Otago—Hector Mountains, Mount Arnould, near Mount Aspiring, mountains at the head of Lake Wakatipu, Petrie! 4000–6000 ft. January–March.
Also found in arctic and alpine Europe, north Asia, and North America, but only known from New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere. Easily distinguished from C. leporina, to which it is allied, by the much smaller size and rounder wingless utricles. Certainly indigenous.
17. C. leporina, Linn. Sp. Plant. 973.—Culms laxly tufted, stout or rather slender, trigonous, scabrid above, 6–18 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, striate, 1/10–1/8 in. broad; margins minutely scabrid. Spikelets 4–6, crowded in an oblong lobed spike ¾–1 in. long, sessile, androgynous, ovoid, brownish-green, shining, about ⅓ in. long; lowest bract like the glumes or rarely with a short leafy point. Glumes oblong-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or subacute, pale-brown with a green midrib and hyaline margins. Male flowers at the base of the spikelets, female above. Utricle equalling its glume, elliptic-ovoid, plano-convex, winged, striate, narrowed into a long beak; margins and beak finely serrulate. Styles 2. Nut oblong, lenticular, shining.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 301; xvi. (1884) 426.
North Island: Auckland—Near Mauku, H. Carse! Wellington—Ohariu Valley, Kirk! South Island: Nelson—Not uncommon in the western portion of the district, ascending to 4000 ft. on the Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C. November–January.
A common plant in northern Europe, north Asia, and some parts of North America. It is probably introduced into New Zealand.
18. C. Gaudichaudiana, Kunth, Enum. ii. 417.—Rhizome stoloniferous. Culms slender, strict, trigonous, smooth or slightly scabrid above, very variable in height, usually from 4 to 12 in., ​but sometimes dwarfed to 1 or 2 in., at other times attaining 18 in. Leaves shorter or longer than the culms, narrow, flat, grassy, 1/20–1/12 broad. Spikelets 3–5, rarely more or fewer, sessile or the lowest very shortly stalked, erect, close together or a little remote, ¼–¾ in. long; terminal one (and sometimes a smaller one near its base) wholly male, linear or linear-oblong; the rest female, often with a few male flowers at the top, oblong, cylindric; bracts long and leafy, the lowest usually exceeding the inflorescence. Glumes oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse or very shortly mucronate, shorter than the utricle, dark-purple or purplish-black, usually with a narrow pale midrib and margins. Utricle narrow-ovate to orbicular-ovate, much compressed, conspicuously nerved almost to the apex, green spotted with brownish-red when ripe, upper portion minutely granular-papillose; beak very short, almost wanting, entire or minutely 2-toothed. Styles 2. Nut broadly ovate, plano-convex.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 99, t. 151a; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 313. C. vulgaris var. Gaudichaudiana, Boott, Ill. Gar. iv. 169, t. 567; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 442; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 429. C. cæspitosa, R. Br. Prodr. 242 (not of Good.).
North and South Islands: Moist places in mountain districts from the Upper Waikato southwards, rarer in the lowlands. Sea-level to 4500 ft. November–February.
Also in Australia and Tasmania, and very closely allied to the almost cosmopolitan C. vulgaris, Fries, differing chiefly in the more compressed and conspicuously nerved utricles.
19. C. sulbdola, Boott in Trans. Linn. Soc. xx. (1846) 142.—Rhizome creeping, stoloniferous. Culms slender, trigonous, slightly scabrid above, 1–2 ft. high. Leaves usually exceeding the culms, pale-green, soft, grassy, 1/12–1/8 broad; margins scabrid above. Spikelets 4–8, erect, 1–3 in. long; terminal 1–3 male, usually approximate, sessile, very slender, cylindric; the remainder female, usually with a few male flowers at the top, the upper sometimes geminate, sessile or shortly stalked, the lower solitary, often remote, on longer peduncles; bracts very long and leafy, far exceeding the inflorescence. Glumes shorter and narrower than the utricles, oblong, obtuse, emarginate, with an awn of variable length from the centre of the emargination, dark red-brown or purplish-brown usually with a green stripe down the centre. Utricle ovate, much compressed, conspicuously nerved, green or brownish-green, narrowed into a very short entire or minutely 2-toothed beak. Styles 2. Nut broadly ovate, plano-convex.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 282; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 314; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi (1884) 430.
North Island: Abundant in swamps from the North Cape southwards. Sea-level to 1500 ft. November–January.
​Chiefly distinguishable from C. Gaudichaudiana by the larger size, more numerous and much longer often stalked spikelets, and by the awn to the glume, although the last is a variable character. Mr. C. B. Clarke considers it to be a variety of C. Gaudichaudiana.
20. C. ternaria, Forst. Prodr. n. 549.—Usually very tall and stout. Rhizome thick, stoloniferous. Culms robust, 1–4 ft. high, triquetrous with the angles very sharply scabrid, faces grooved and striate. Leaves numerous, equalling or exceeding the culms, broad, flat, grassy, grooved, ⅕–½ in. broad; margins and midrib beneath sharply scabrid; sheathing scales at the base of the leaves with the margins transversely fibrillose. Spikelets numerous, 8–24. dark-brown, stout, long-stalked, pendulous, 1–4 in. long; upper 1–6 male, solitary or the lower geminate; the remainder female, usually with male flowers at the top, geminate or ternate or even quinate, the lowest on very long peduncles; bracts very long and leafy, overtopping the inflorescence. Glumes lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or oblong-ovate, obtuse or retuse at the tip, with a stout hispid awn of very variable length but usually exceeding the utricles, dark-brown with a green keel. Utricle ovate, compressed, nerved, brownish, narrowed into a very short beak with an entire mouth. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong.—Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 89; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 282; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 314; Boott, Ill. Car. iv. tt. 596–598; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 431. C. geminata, Schkuhr, Riedgr. i. 65; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 290. C. polystachya, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 118, t. 21.
Var. gracilis, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 431.—Tall, slender. Leaves usually narrower, ⅛–⅕ in. broad. Spikelets numerous, long, often over 4 in., slender, sometimes barely ⅙ in. diam.
Var. pallida, Cheesem. l.c.—Stout. Leaves strict, rigid, often coriaceous. Spikelets fewer, short, pale, on long filiform peduncles. Utricles broader and more turgid, indistinctly nerved, sometimes with serrate margins.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands, Antipodes Island.—The typical form and var. gracilis abundant throughout, var. pallida not uncommon in the mountains of the South Island. Sea-level to 4000 ft. November–February.
Very distinct in its ordinary state, but small slender forms appear to run into C. subdola and into the following species.
21. C. Sinclairii, Boott, MS. in. Herb. Kew.—Rhizome creeping, stoloniferous. Culms slender or rather stout, triquetrous, scabrid above, 6–18 in. high. Leaves shorter or longer than the culms. Hat, grassy, striate, 1/15–1/8 in. broad; margins scabrid; sheaths at the base not transversely fibrillose. Spikelets 4–6, erect or nearly so, short, stalked or the uppermost sessile, ½–1½ in. long; terminal 1 or 2 male, very slender; remainder female, usually with a few male flowers at the top, solitary or the upper geminate, rarely compound at the base, the lower usually on longer peduncles. ​Glumes oblong or oblong-ovate, tapering upwards, acute or obtuse, not mucronate or the mucro very short and inconspicuous, dark red-brown, unicolorous or with a very narrow pale stripe down the centre. Utricle equalling the glume or barely exceeding it, ovate, much compressed, nerved, narrowed into a short minutely 2-toothed beak. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, lenticular.
South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, Wairau Valley, Hanmer Plains, T.F.C. Canterbury—Sinclair and Haast, n. 138 in Herb. Kew; Broken River, Lake Tekapo, T.F.C. Westland—Okarito, A. Hamilton! Otago—Hector and Buchanan, Petrie! 1000–3000 ft. December–February.
I am indebted to Mr. C. B. Clarke for supplying me with information respecting this, and for identifying some of my specimens. It appears to be a somewhat critical species, differing from depauperated states of C. ternaria in the basal leaf-sheaths not being transversely fibrillose, in the much fewer erect spikelets, and barely awned glumes, &c. From C. Gaudichaudiana, large states of which approach it in habit, it is removed by the broader harsher leaves, the spikelets often stalked and geminate, the longer glumes not rounded at the tip, and by the utricle not being granular-papillose.
22. C. Raoulii, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 283.—Yellowish-green or dark-green, laxly tufted, often spreading at the base. Culms rather stout, triquetrous, scabrid on the angles, 9–18 in. high. Leaves longer than the culms, flat, broad, coriaceous, grooved, ⅙–¼ in. broad, scabrid on the margins and midrib beneath. Spikelets 4–8, all female but usually with a few male flowers below, the uppermost generally with more male flowers below, stout, erect, all approximate and sessile, or less crowded with the lowest one remote and pedunculate, green or greenish-brown, ½–1 in. long, ¼ in. broad; bracts long and leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, thin and membranous, pale-brown, bifid; midrib stout, produced into a short or long hispid awn. Utricle broader and longer than the glumes, elliptic, unequally biconvex, strongly nerved, narrowed into a stout 2-toothed beak; margins serrate above or almost even. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, lenticular.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 314; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 433. C. Goyeni, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 363.
South Island: Nelson—Graham River, Wangapeka River, Mount Owen, Jollie's Pass, T.F.C; Fowler's Pass, Kirk! Marlborough—Mount Fyffe, Kirk! Canterbury—Akaroa, Raoul; Southern Alps, Sinclair and Haast; Mount Torlesse, Kirk! Kowai River, Cockayne! Broken River, Upper Waimakariri, Lake Tekapo, Hooker Valley, T.F.C. Otago—Lake Wakatipu, Lake Wanaka, Mount Ida, Buchanan! Petrie! 200–3000 ft. December–February.
A distinct species, easily recognised by the broad flat leaves, by the terminal spikelet being always partly female, and by the strongly nerved elliptic utricles, usually serrate above. Mr. Clarke informs me that all Raoul's specimens at Kew have the utricles hairy on the upper half, but I have seen no specimens showing this peculiarity.
​23. C. dipsacea, Berggr. in Minneskr. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 28, t. 7, f. 8–14.—Densely tufted. Culms slender, smooth, erect, leafy, 1–2 ft. high, scarcely elongating in fruit. Leaves numerous, longer than the culms, rather narrow, 1/12–1/8 in. broad, flat, keeled, striate; margins and keel sharply scabrid. Spikelets 4–7, close together except the lowest, which is usually remote, dense-flowered, pale or dark-brown; terminal one male, slender, sometimes mixed with female flowers; remainder female, but often with a few male flowers below, short and broad, ½–1 in. long, sessile or the two lower shortly pedunculate; bracts long and leafy, far overtopping the inflorescence. Glumes rather shorter than the utricles, orbicular-ovate, obtuse, membranous, pale or dark chestnut-brown, midrib vanishing at the apex or shortly excurrent; margins scarious, pale. Utricles densely packed, spreading when ripe, elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex or almost plano-convex, smooth, nerveless; margins sharply and distantly serrate above; beak short, 2-toothed. Styles 2. Nut obovoid-oblong, lenticular.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 432.
North and South Islands: From the Lower Waikato to Foveaux Strait, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–January.
Very close to C. testacea, but usually recognised without difficulty by the densely packed utricles, spreading on all sides when ripe.
24. C. testacea, Sol. ex Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 282.—Laxly tufted. Culms very slender, sometimes filiform, smooth or slightly scabrid above, 6–18 in. high, in some varieties elongating in fruit and becoming prostrate, occasionally reaching a length of 4–5 ft. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, 1/15–1/8 in. broad, flat, usually keeled, striate; margins harsh and scabrid. Spikelets 3–5, approximate, pale-brown; terminal one male, slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers below, rarely above, short and broad, ½–1 in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, sessile or the lowest shortly peduncled; bracts long and leafy, far overtopping the inflorescence. Glumes broadly ovate, thin and membranous, deeply emarginate or bifid, with a long or short awn from the centre of the emargination, pale-brown streaked with chestnut, median portion more or less conspicuously 3-nerved. Utricles equalling the glumes or shorter than them, broadly ovate, plano-convex or nearly so, 7–11-nerved on the convex face, polished and shining, purplish at the apex, paler below, or wholly pale-brown; margins more or less distinctly serrate above, rarely even; beak short, with 2 widely divergent teeth. Styles 2. Nut obovoid-oblong, lenticular.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 314 (in part); Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 434.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 3500 ft. October–January.
​The best marks of this variable plant are the comparatively lax habit, very slender culms which often elongate in fruit and become prostrate, usually aggregated spikelets, and plano-convex utricles with nerved faces and serrate margins.
25. C. Wakatipu, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 363.—Laxly tufted, often spreading at the base. Culms short, rather stout, trigonous, smooth, very variable in size, usually 4–8 in. high, but sometimes elongated to 12 or 14 in., and alpine specimens are often dwarfed to 1–2 in. Leaves always much longer than the culms, frequently twice the length, broad, flat, grooved, ⅛–⅕ in. diam.; margins slightly scabrid. Spikelets 3–6, closely packed, pale- or dark-brown; terminal one (rarely two) male, slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers below or rarely above, sessile or the lowest shortly pedunculate, ⅓–1 in. long; bracts very long and leafy, far overtopping the spikelets. Glumes broadly ovate, thin and membranous, bifid, pale-chestnut, sometimes dark-brown; midrib stout, ending in a short awn. Utricle broadly elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex, strongly 7–11-nerved, pale-brown to dark-brown; margins usually smooth; beak short, 2-toothed. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, lenticular.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 434.
South Island: Not uncommon in alpine and subalpine localities throughout. 2500–5500 ft. December–February.
Distinguished from C. testacea by the smaller size and more robust habit, broader leaves always much exceeding the culms, closely aggregated spikelets, and more turgid strongly nerved utricles.
26. C. devia, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 301.—Culms laxly tufted, smooth or nearly so, leafy at the base, 6–18 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, spreading, rigid and coriaceous, flat or involute, strongly grooved, 1/10–1/6 in. diam.; margins scabrid. Spikelets 2–4, approximate or the lowest alone remote, dark-brown; terminal one the largest, male, rarely with a few female flowers at the base, rather stout, sometimes almost clavate, ¾–1½ in. long; remainder all female, erect, oblong, ½–1 in. long, sessile or the lowest very shortly pedunculate; lowest bract long and leafy, the rest small. Glumes dark-brown with a pale centre, ovate, acute, emarginate or shortly bifid, the midrib produced into a hispid awn of varying length. Utricle equalling the glumes or rather longer than them, elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex or almost plano-convex, strongly nerved on both faces, purplish-black; margins entire; beak short, bifid. Styles 2. Nut broadly obovoid-oblong, compressed.—Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 433.
South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, St. Arnaud Mountains, Raglan Range, T.F.C; Dun Mountain, H. H. Travers! D'Urville Island, H. B. Kirk! 1000–3000 ft. December–January.
Mr. C. B. Clarke considers this to be a variety of C. lucida, to which it approaches very closely in the glumes and utricle. But the habit is altogether ​different, being nearer to some states of C. testacea, the leaves are shorter and broader and more coriaceous, the spikelets are fewer in number and shorter and broader, the terminal male one being often clavate, and the utricles are conspicuously nerved on both faces.
27. C. lucida, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 283.—Densely tufted, usually forming large tussocks. Culms very slender, leafy, smooth or slightly scabrid above, in the flowering stage 12–24 in. high and usually overtopped by the leaves, in fruit often but not invariably elongating and becoming prostrate, sometimes reaching a length of 4 or 5 ft. or even more. Leaves numerous, spreading or drooping at the tips, narrow, 1/15–1/8 in. broad, keeled; margms and keel sharply scabrid. Spikelets 4–8, narrow, erect, cylindric, ½–2 in. long, pale-brown to dark-brown; upper 1–3 male, very slender, unequal in length, close together; remainder female but occasionally with a few male flowers below or rarely at the top, almost sessile or on peduncles of varying length, usually rather distant, the lowermost often remote and occasionally compound at the base; bracts very long and leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, acute or obtuse, rarely very shortly emarginate, cuspidate with a short hispid awn, pale or dark chestnut-brown with a pale keel. Utricle about as long as the glume, elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex, smooth or obscurely nerved on the rounded face, shining, from purplish-black to pale-brown; margins smooth; beak short, acutely bidentate. Styles 2. Nut broadly oblong, biconvex.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 314; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 432. C. flagellifera, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 342.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From the North Cape southwards, abundant. Sea-level to 3000 ft. October–January.
A well-known species, easily distinguished by the slender culms, narrow keeled leaves, distant long and narrow spikelets, usually entire glumes, and turgid smooth and polished utricles.
28. C. Buchanani, Berggr. in Journ. Bot. xviii. (1880) 104.—Densely tufted, usually reddish-purple, rarely whitish-green. Culms closely packed, slender, strict, erect, 1–2 ft. high, quite smooth. Leaves equalling the culms or longer than them, narrow, strict, semiterete, grooved on the convex face, 1/20–1/12 in. broad; margins scabrid. Spikelets 4–6, linear-oblong, erect, cylindric, ½–1½ in. long, remote or the upper approximate, pale whitish-green; terminal 1 or rarely 2 male, very slender; remainder female, usually with a few male flowers below, sessile or the lowest shortly pedunculate; bracts long and leafy. Glumes longer than the utricles, broadly ovate with a long hispid awn, pale, membranous; margins lacerate. Utricle elliptic, plano-convex, smooth or faintly nerved on the convex face, spotted with dark-purple; margins ciliate-serrate above; beak rather long, deeply ​bifid. Styles 2. Nut obovoid-oblong, plano-convex.—Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 290; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 431. C. tenax, Berggr. in Minneskr. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 27, t. 7, f. 1–7 (not of Chapm.).
South Island: Abundant in hilly and mountainous districts throughout. Sea-level to 3500 ft. December–January.
The chief characters of this species are the strict erect habit, semiterete leaves, pale-coloured glumes, and elliptic plano-convex utricles, the margins of which are serrate above. The reddish-purple colour, which is often constant through large districts, is also seen in C. comans, G. Petriei, C. uncifolia, and others. It probably occurs in the mountainous centre of the North Island, but I have seen no specimens from thence.
29. C. cirrhosa, Berggr. in Minneskr. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 29, t.7, f. 27–34.—A dwarf species forming compact glaucous-green or reddish tufts. Culms very short, densely packed, 1–1½ in. high, leafy throughout. Leaves longer than the culms, narrow, flat or almost plano-convex, grooved; tips obtuse, curled and twisted when dry; margins scabrid. Spikelets 4–5, approximate and almost concealed by the leaves, ⅕–⅓ in. long; terminal one male, slender; remainder all female, with or without a few male flowers below, all sessile or the lowest very shortly peduncled; bracts leafy, far exceeding the spikelets. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, entire, cuspidate, whitish-green with a darker midrib. Utricle about equalling the glumes, elliptic-ovoid, plano-convex, nerved, pale, narrowed into a rather long acutely bidentate beak; margins entire or minutely denticulate. Styles 2. Nut lenticular.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 435.
Var. lutescens, Kukenthal, MS.—Culms taller, 2–4 in. high. Spikelets longer and further apart, the lowest one sometimes remote. Utricle narrow-elliptic; beak longer.
South Island: Canterbury—Upper Waimakariri and Lake Lyndon, Berggren! Enys! Kirk! Cockayne, T.F.C. December–February.
A very peculiar little plant.
30. C. rubicunda, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1899) 353.—Forming small reddish-brown tufts. Culms short, strict, erect, quite smooth, leafy, 2–4 in. high. Leaves equalling the culms or longer than them, narrow, 1/20–1/15 in. broad, convex at the back, concave in front, grooved; tips curled and twisted when dry; margins smooth. Spikelets 4–5, all closely approximate and sessile, or the lowest remote and shortly pedunculate, short, ⅕–¼ in. long; terminal one male; remainder female; bracts long, leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, entire, shortly cuspidate, pale. Utricle equalling the glumes, ovoid or elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex, smooth or faintly nerved, reddish-brown; margins smooth, even; beak very short, minutely bidentate. Styles 2. Nut lenticular.—C. novæ-zealandiæ, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxv. (1893) 273 (not of Boeckel.).
North Island: Opepe, near Lake Taupo, T.F.C. South Island: Otago—Marshy places on the shores of Lake Te Anau, Petrie! January–February.
Mr. C. B. Clarke suggests that this should be merged with C. cirrhosa, to which it is doubtless very closely allied. But the utricles are much more turgid and distinctly biconvex, and the beak very short and not so acutely bidentate. The habit is that of depauperated states of C. Petriei, but the spikelets are much smaller and closer together and usually sessile, the styles are 2, and the utricles are generally faintly nerved.
31. C. Berggreni, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 297.—Small, reddish-brown or green, forming broad depressed tufts. Culms branched at the base, very short, stout, spreading, sheathed to the top by the leaves, ½–1½ in. high. Leaves spreading, exceeding the culms, 1–2 in. long, 1/20–1/12 in. broad, linear, quite flat, obtuse, deeply striate, coriaceous; margins smooth or serrate above. Spikelets 2–3, small, ⅙–¼ in. long, usually approximate, all shortly peduucled or almost sessile, red-brown; terminal one male; the remainder female; bracts short, broad. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse or very shortly cuspidate, membranous, chestnut-brown, usually with a green midrib and paler margins. Utricles rather longer than the glumes, elliptic, biconvex or obscurely trigonous, indistinctly nerved, dark red-brown or almost black above, paler towards the base; margins smooth; beak almost wanting, minutely bifid. Styles 2 or 3. Nut acutely trigonous.
South Island: Canterbury—Margins of lagoons near the Cass River, Lake Tekapo, T.F.C. Otago—Mount Pisa, Old Man Range, Mount Kyeburn, Petrie! 2500–5000 ft. December–February.
One of the most distinct species of the genus. The linear flat leaves, of uniform width throughout, and very obtuse at the tip, are unmistakable. The styles are sometimes 2, sometimes 3, but the acutely trigonous nut shows that the alliance of the species is with the 3-styled division of the genus. My Cass River specimens have narrower leaves and more closely compacted spikelets, and are placed by Kukenthal as var. augustifolia.
32. C. Hectori, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 405.—Culms densely tufted, branched at the base, erect, leafy throughout, 1–3 in. high. Leaves exceeding the culms, green, erect, rigid, flat, striate, about 1/20 in. broad; tips subacute; margins scabrid above. Spikelets 3–4, closely approximate, small, ⅙–¼ in. long, red-brown; terminal one male, erect; remainder all female, spreading, ovoid-oblong, sessile or the lowest very shortly pedunculate; bracts long, leafy, overtopping the spikelets. Glumes ovate, acuminate or cuspidate with the stout excurrent midrib, membranous, chestnut-brown with a paler midrib and margins. Utricles narrow-ovoid, trigonous, strongly nerved, narrowed at the base and upwards into an acutely 2-toothed beak; margins ciliate-serrate above. Styles 3. Nut trigonous.
South Island: Otago—Old Man Range, altitude 5000 ft., Petrie!
​In the leaves and arrangement of the spikelets this approaches C. decurtata, but the narrow-ovoid trigonous utricle with its long serrate beak is quite different from the broad plano-convex utricle of C. decurtata. From C. uncifolia it also differs in the slender serrate beak of the utricle. From C. Berggreni it is removed by the green tapering acute leaves, and larger long-beaked utricles.
33. C. decurtata, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 414.—Small, densely tufted, glaucous-green. Culms short, 1–3 in. high, usually sheathed to the top by the leaves. Leaves numerous, much exceeding the culms, 2–6 in. long, 1/25–1/15 in. broad, flat, or concave in front and convex behind, rigid, coriaceous, grooved; tips incurved when dry; margins scabrid. Spikelets 3–5, usually concealed amongst the leaves, short, stout, about ¼ in. long, very closely approximate; terminal one male, erect; remainder all female, spreading, ovoid or ovoid-oblong, sessile or the lowest very shortly pedunculate. Glumes broadly ovate or almost orbicular, acute or cuspidate, thin and membranous, reddish-brown or chestnut with a paler centre and margins. Utricles rather longer than the glumes, broadly ovoid or elliptic-ovoid, plano-convex or unequally biconvex, turgid on the back, obscurely nerved; margins thick, serrate above; beak short, stout, sharply bidentate. Styles 3. Nut sharply trigonous. C. cryptocarpa, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 412, 435 (not of C. A. Mey.).
South Island: Canterbury—Margins of ponds near Lake Tekapo, altitude 2500 ft. December–February.
A very curious and distinct little species.
34. C. uncifolia, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 412.—Brownish-red or green, forming lax or dense spreading tufts. Culms short, 1–4 in. high, usually sheathed to the top by the leaves. Leaves numerous, spreading, far exceeding the culms, 3–10 in. long, 1/30–1/15 in. broad, rarely narrower and filiform, concave in front, convex on the back, grooved, tips often curled and twisted when dry; margins finely scabrid above. Spikelets 3–5, short, closely approximate or sometimes the lowest one remote, chestnut-brown to dark-brown, ⅙–¼ in. long; terminal one male, slender, erect; remainder all female, spreading, ovoid or oblong, all sessile or the lowest very shortly pedunculate. Glumes ovate, obtuse or cuspidate, membranous, chestnut-brown with a green centre; margins sometimes erose. Utricles longer than the glumes, narrowed at the base, elliptic-oblong, trigonous, more or less distinctly nerved, reddish-brown to blackish-brown, rarely pale; margins rounded, entire; beak very short, with an almost entire or obscurely 2-toothed mouth. Styles 3. Nut obovoid, trigonous.—Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 415.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Apparently not uncommon in mountain districts throughout. 2000–4000 ft. December–February.
​35. C. Dallii, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. (1894) 261.—Small, slender, laxly tufted, usually reddish-brown. Culms very slender, smooth, grooved, 4–10 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms or almost equalling them, sheathing at the base, narrow, 1/30–1/15 in. broad, concave in front, convex behind, grooved, narrowed into long filiform points; margins slightly scabrid above. Spikelets 3–5, narrow, ¼–⅔ in. long, more or less distant, the lowermost often almost basal, dark red-brown; terminal one male, slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers below, sessile except the lowest, which is on a long filiform peduncle; bracts long, leafy. Glumes ovate, acuminate or slightly awned, membranous, reddish-brown. Utricles narrow-ovoid, obscurely trigonous, smooth or faintly nerved, dark purplish-black; margins entire; beak sharply 2-toothed. Styles 3. Nut trigonous.—C. Traversii, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. (1894) 262.
South Island: Nelson—Source of the Heaphy River, Dall! Dun Mountain, H. H. Travers! 2500–4000 ft. December–February.
I cannot see upon what grounds Mr. Kirk's C. Traversii can be separated from Dall's Heaphy River specimens. Both are very near to C. Petriei, principally differing in the more slender habit, more distant spikelets, the lowermost one almost basal, darker glumes, and rather narrower utricles.
36. C. Petriei, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 413.—Densely tufted, usually brownish-red. Culms stout or rather slender, quite smooth, deeply grooved, leafy, 5–15 in. high. Leaves numerous, longer or shorter than the culms, broad and sheathing at the base, blade narrow, 1/30–1/10 in. broad, deeply grooved, concave in front, convex behind, narrowed into long slender points that are usually curled and twisted when dry; margins scabrid. Spikelets 3–5, narrow-oblong, ⅓–⅔ in. long, more or less approximate but not closely so, the lower one often remote; terminal one male, slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers at the base, all stalked, but the stalks of the upper ones sometimes very short; bracts long, leafy. Glumes ovate, acute or shortly cuspidate, thin and membranous, pale, often almost white, but usually more or less stained with chestnut, rarely chestnut-brown; margins often lacerate. Utricles longer than the glumes, narrow-ovoid or elliptic-oblong, biconvex, rather turgid, smooth or obscurely nerved, shining, dark purplish-brown or almost black; margins entire; beak short, 2-toothed. Styles 3. Nut elliptic, trigonous.
South Island: Not uncommon in mountain districts, from Nelson to the south of Otago. 2000–5000 ft. December–February.
Characterized by the broad sheathing-base of the leaves, and their fine curled and twisted points; by the rather small and narrow spikelets, all of which are stalked, and the lower on filiform peduncles; by the usually pale-coloured glumes; and by the narrow-ovoid or elliptic turgid utricles, which are dark purplish brown or almost black.
​37. C. comans, Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 28, t. 7, f. 15–19.—Densely tufted, pale-green or reddish. Culms very slender, filiform, quite smooth, leafy, usually 6–18 in. high, but sometimes elongating in fruit and prostrate. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, very narrow, filiform, 1/30–1/15 in. broad, flat or concave in front, slightly rounded at the back, grooved and striate; margins scabrid. Spikelets 5–7, linear-oblong, ⅓–¾ in. long, ⅛–⅕ in. broad; terminal one (rarely two) male, very slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers at the base, usually distant, the lowermost sometimes almost basal, the upper two sessile, the rest on filiform peduncles, that of the lowermost often elongate; bracts long, filiform, far overtopping the spikelets. Glumes ovate, usually bifid, with a short hispid awn, membranous, pale-brown or red-brown; margins lacerate. Utricles rather longer than the glumes, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, plano-convex or unequally biconvex, smooth or obscurely ribbed on the convex face, gradually narrowed into a rather long bidentate beak; margins sharply serrate above. Styles 3. Nut trigonous.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 436. C. Cheesemanii, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 358; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 437.
Var. pulchella, C. B. Clarke, MS.—Smaller. Spikelets usually 4, the lowermost remote and basal. Utricles shorter and broader, ovate-oblong, often smooth; beak shorter.—C. pulchella, Berggr. in Minneskr. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 29, t. 7, f. 20–26.
Var. stricta, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 415.—Pale whitish-green. Culms short, 4–8 in. high, barely half the length of the strict erect leaves. Spikelets and glumes shining whitish-green. Utricles larger and broader, elliptic-ovoid, pale. Perhaps a distinct species.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon from Ahipara and Mongonui southwards. Var. pulchella: Bealey, Berggren! Maniototo Plain, Petrie! Var. stricta: Lake Tekapo, T.F.C. Sea-level to 3500 ft. November–February.
A very variable species, best separated from its allies by the filiform culms and leaves, narrow rather remote spikelets, and lanceolate or elliptic lanceolate utricles, sharply toothed above. Mr. Petrie's C. Cheesemanii usually has longer culms and rather broader utricles, but passes so gradually into the type that it cannot be distinguished even as a variety. I have followed Mr. C. B. Clarke in reducing Berggren's C. pulchella to C. comans, the differences between the two being of no very great importance.
38. C. plesiostachys, C. B. Clarke MS. in Herb. Kew.—Pale-green, densely tufted, with much of the habit of C. comans. Culms short, slender, quite smooth, leafy almost to the top, 4–9 in. long. Leaves much exceeding the culms, 12–20 in. long, narrow, 1/20–1/15 in. broad, flat in front, slightly convex behind, grooved; margins shghtly scabrid. Spikelets 5–6, pale stramineous, closely approximate, the lowest not remote, ⅓–¾ in. long; terminal one male, slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers ​at the base, sessile or the lowest very shortly pedunculate; bracts long and leafy. Glumes broadly ovoid, pale-coloured, membranous, shortly bifid, midrib produced into a long or short awn usually exceeding the utricles; margins lacerate. Utricle elliptic-ovoid, unequally biconvex, smooth, turgid, gradually narrowed into a rather long acutely bidentate beak; margins entire. Styles 3. Nut trigonous.
South Island: Otago—Milford Sound, Kirk!
Specimens of this collected by Mr. Kirk are in my own and in the Kew Herbarium, and I have adopted Mr. Clarke's manuscript name for it. It is evidently very close to C. comans var. stricta, principally differing in the closely aggregated apikelets and broader utricles, which are not serrate above.
39. C. litorosa, Bailey in Memoirs Torrey Club (1889) 72.—Pale-green, forming compact tufts. Culms densely packed, slender, erect, terete, grooved, quite smooth, leafy, 9–24 in. high. Leaves as long or longer than the culms, sheathing at the base, narrow, 1/30–1/12 in. broad, deeply grooved, flat or concave in front, convex behind, narrowed into long filiform points; margins slightly serrate above. Spikelets 3–5, the lowermost often remote, the others closely placed or a little distant, oblong-ovate, ¼–¾ in. long; terminal one male, slender; remainder all female, usually with male flowers either above or below, sessile or the lowermost shortly pedunculate; bracts very long and leafy. Glumes ovate, acuminate with a short or long awn, membranous, pale-brown; margins often lacerate. Utricles as long or rather longer than the glumes, broadly ovoid, turgid, biconvex, smooth or obscurely nerved, reddish-brown; margins smooth; beak short and stout, with 2 divergent teeth. Styles 3. Nut obovoid, trigonous.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 415. C. littoralis, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 358; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 437 (not of Schwein.). C. australis, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. (1894) 262 (not of Boeckel.).
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon in brackishwater marshes from the Kaipara Harbour southwards. October–January.
Distinguished from C. comans by the larger size and stouter habit, broader spikelets, and especially by the broader and more turgid biconvex utricles, with entire margins and smooth or very obscurely nerved faces. The Otago and Stewart Island specimens have rather larger spikelets, with male flowers at the base of the female spikelets, whereas they are usually at the top in northern specimens.
40. C. dissita, Sol. ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 284.—Densely tufted. Culms slender, smooth, leafy, 1–2½ ft. high. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, dark-green, flat, broad, grassy, deeply grooved, ⅛–¼ in. diam.; margins scabrid above. Spikelets 4–8, distant, ⅓–1 in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, dark-brown; terminal one male, slender, rarely with 1 or 2 much smaller ones near its ​base; remainder all female, but often with male flowers below, rarely at the top, shortly peduncled and erect, or the lower on longer peduncles and nodding; bracts long, leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, deeply bifid or almost entire, membranous, dark chestnut-brown with paler margins; midrib stout, produced into a short or rather long stout hispid awn. Utricles about equalling the glumes, ovoid, turgid, biconvex, obscurely nerved, pale- or dark-brown, sometimes almost black; margins often serrate above; beak short, with 2 stout often widely divergent teeth. Styles 3. Nut ovoid, trigonous.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 316; Boott, Ill. Car. i. t. 176; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 437. C. longeacuminata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxi. (1889) 104. C. polyneura, Col. l.c. C. australis, Boeck. Cyp. Berol. n. 298.
Var. Lambertiana, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 437.—Stouter. Leaves broader, ⅕—⅓ in. Spikelets longer and stouter, 1–2½ in. long. Glumes more deeply bifid.—C. Lambertiana, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 284; Ill. Car. i. t. 177; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 317.
Var. ochrosaccus, Cheesem.—Culms usually overtopped by the leaves. Spikelets 4–9, pale, erect, short-stalked, lower often compound. Glumes with longer awns exceeding the utricles. Utricles pale, rather narrower.—C. ochrosaccus, C. B. Clarke MS. in Herb. Kew.
Var. monticola, Kukenthal, MS.—Smaller, 6–18 in. high. Leaves narrower. Spikelets 3–5, small, ¼–½ in. long, sessile or very shortly peduncled.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: The typical form and var. Lambertiana abundant throughout. Var. ochrosaccus: Whangarei, Carse! Kaipara, Kirk! vicinity of Auckland, T.F.C. Var. monticola: Not uncommon in turfy swamps in the mountains of both Islands. Sea-level to 3500 ft. October–January.
A most abundant and variable species. It can be distinguished from its allies by the broad flat grassy leaves, usually solitary male spikelets, distant stout dark-coloured female spikelets, which are generally on short peduncles, broad often deeply bifid glumes with a hispid awn of varying length, and broadly ovoid turgid utricles, which are usually obscurely nerved.
41. C. Solandri, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 284.—Densely tufted. Culms tall, slender, trigonous, slightly scabrid above, leafy, 1–3 ft. high, often elongating in fruit and becoming prostrate. Leaves long, narrow, keeled, 1/10–1/6 in. broad; margins and keel sharply scabrid. Spikelets 5–10, distant, on long slender peduncles, long and narrow, ¾–2 in. long by about ⅕ in. broad, dark-brown; terminal 1–4 male, slender, usually closely placed; remainder all female, but generally with a few male flowers below, nodding, the 2 or 3 lowest often compound, on longer filiform peduncles; bracts long and leafy. Glumes broadly ovate, entire or bifid, membranous, dark or pale chestnut-brown; midrib produced into an awn of variable length. Utricles about equalling the glumes, ovoid, turgid, unequally biconvex or obscurely trigonous, dark red-brown or purplish-black, rarely pale-brown, narrowed into a short sharply bidentate beak; margins smooth or serrate above. ​Styles 3. Nut ovoid, trigonous.—Boott, Ill. Gar. i. 61, t. 175; C. Neesiana, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 316; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 438 (not of Endl.).
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon from Ahipara and Mongonui southwards, usually in woods. Sea-level to 2000 ft. October–January.
Allied to C. dissita, from which it differs in the taller and more slender habit, in the male spikelets usually more than one, and in the longer and narrower female spikelets, the 2 or 3 lower of which are often compound. The utricles are also rather smaller, and less conspicuously nerved than in C. dissita. In my Revision of the New Zealand species I followed Sir J. D. Hooker in uniting it with the Norfolk Island C. Neesiana; but since then I have obtained specimens of that species, and find it to differ so much in leaves, spikelets, and utricles that I can entertain no doubt as to the distinctness of the two plants.
42. C. ventosa, C. B. Clarke MS. in Herb. Kew.—Tall, stout, robust, leaves broad. Inflorescence 12–14 in. long. Spikelets 8, ¾–3 in. long, pale; terminal 2–3 male, slender; remainder all female, short-peduncled, erect, not pendulous. Utricles elliptic-oblong, trigonous, narrowed at both ends, stramineous, 12-nerved, glabrous; beak very short. Nut blackish, elliptic-oblong, trigonous.
Chatham Islands (?): Travers in Herb. Kew.
This is quite unknown to me, and the above brief diagnosis has been framed from notes kindly supplied by Mr. C. B. Clarke, who remarks that it is nearest to the true C. Neesiana (of Norfolk Island), but differs in the larger and narrower utricles.
43. C. longiculmis, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 363.—Tall, densely tufted. Culms terete or nearly so, smooth, 2–3 ft. high or more, leafy at the base. Leaves shorter than the culms or equalling them, pale-green, sheathing at the base, ⅙–⅕ in. broad, flat or keeled, striate; margins slightly scabrid above. Spikelets 5–7, the lowermost usually distant, the remainder approximate; terminal one male, slender, 1–2 in. long, sometimes with a smaller one near its base; remainder all female, usually with a few male flowers at the base, rarely at the top, very large and stout, ¾–1½ in. long, ⅓–½ in. broad, pale-brown, sessile or the lowest shortly peduneled; bracts leafy, far exceeding the inflorescence. Glumes broadly ovate, membranous, pale chestnut-brown, midrib produced into a stout hispid awn. Utricle equalling the glumes, somewhat stipitate, ovoid, biconvex, nerved, pale- or dark-brown, suddenly contracted into a rather long and stout bidentate beak; margins smooth. Styles 3. Nut trigonous.—Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. (1884) 438.
Stewart Island: Paterson's Inlet, Petrie! G. M. Thomson! Glory Cove, Kirk!
A very distinct species, perhaps nearest to C. litorosa, but much larger in all its parts.
​44. C. trifida, Cav. Ic. v. 41, t. 465.—A very tall and stout species, forming dense tussocks 1–2 ft. diam. Culms stout, erect, 2–4 ft. high, obtusely trigonous, quite smooth, thickened at the base, copiously leafy. Leaves very large, overtopping the culms, 3–6 ft. long, ⅓–½ in. broad, sheathing at the base, keeled, rigid, striate; margins scabrid. Spikelets 6–12, very large and stout, 3–5 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad; upper 2–4 male, rather closely placed, sessile or nearly so; lower 4–6 female, further apart, shortly stalked, the lowest often compound; bracts long, leafy. Glumes linear-oblong or lanceolate, deeply bifid, membranous, chestnut-brown; midrib produced into a long hispid awn. Utricle shorter than the glumes or almost equalling them, stipitate and attenuate at the base, oblong-obovoid, turgid, obsoletely trigonous, strongly nerved, rather abruptly contracted into a 2-toothed beak. Styles 3. Nut obovoid-oblong, trigonous.—Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 89; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 284; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 316; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 439. C. incrassata, Sol. ex Boott, Ill. Car. iv. 138.
South Island: Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander. Canterbury—Akaroa, Raoul. Otago—Near Dunedin, Buchanan! Lindsay, Petrie! Bluff Hill, Kirk! Dusky Sound, Lyall. Stewart Island: Petrie! The Snares, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Not uncommon. Sir J. D. Hooker, Kirk!
Also in temperate South America, from Chili to Fuegia and the Falkland Islands. The large size, stout habit, and numerous massive spikelets readily distinguish it from any other species found in New Zealand.
45. C. breviculmis, R. Br. Prodr. 242.—Culms short, tufted, erect or spreading from the base, 1–6 in. high. Leaves very much longer than the culms, spreading, 1/20–1/12 broad, flat, grooved; margins slightly scabrid above. Spikelets 2–5, small, green, approxnnate, ⅙–⅓ in. long; terminal one male; remainder all female, sometimes with male flowers at the top, erect, sessile or the lowest very shortly pedunculate; bracts long, narrow, leafy. Glumes laxly imbricate, ovate, pale-green, membranous; midrib stout, produced into a long hispid awn. Utricles shorter than the glumes, stipitate, narrow-elliptic, trigonous, faintly many-nerved, green, pubescent, narrowed upwards into a short pyramidal beak. Styles 3. Nut elliptic-obovoid, trigonous; style-base dilated just above the top of the nut.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 283, t. 63a; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 316; Fl. Tasm. ii. 101; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 445; Boott, Ill. Car. iv. 181; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 439.
North and South Islands: Abundant from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 3000 ft. October–March.
Easily recognised by the small size and pubescent utricles. Also found in Australia and Tasmania, the Himalaya Mountains, China, and Japan.
​46. C. pumila, Thunb. Fl. Jap. 39.—Rhizome long, creeping, often many feet in length. Culms short, stout, 4–8 in. high, leafy throughout. Leaves much longer than the culms, 1/15–1/8 in. broad, rigid, keeled, grooved, glaucous-green, recurved above, tapering into long subulate points. Spikelets 3–6, approximate; terminal one male, slender, ¾–1 in. long, often with one or two much smaller ones near its base; remainder all female, sometimes with male flowers at the top, oblong, stout, ½–¾ in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, sessile or the lowest shortly pedunculate; bracts long and leafy. Glumes ovate-oblong, membranous, chestnut-brown with pale hyaline margins; midrib stout, produced into a short awn or barely excurrent. Utricle very large, much, exceeding the glumes, ⅕–¼ in. long, thick and corky, turgid, ovoid, smooth or obsoletely nerved, brown, narrowed into a short bidentate beak. Styles 3. Nut brown, ovoid, trigonous.—Boott, Ill. Car. iv. 217; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 315; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 445; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 439. C. littorea, Lab. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 69, t. 219; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 284.
North and South Islands: Sandy shores from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, abundant. October–January.
Very distinct from any other New Zealand species. The long running rhizomes, glaucous keeled leaves, and large smooth and turgid utricles are conspicuous characters. Common in Australia and Tasmania, along the eastern coasts of Asia, and in extratropical South America.
47. C. Brownii, Tuckerm. Enm. Car. 21.—Culms tufted, slender, smooth, leafy at the base, 8–16 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, flat, grassy, ⅛–⅙ in. broad; margins smooth or very slightly scabrid. Spikelets 3–4; terminal one male, small, ⅕–½ in. long, slender, often few-flowered; remainder all female, ⅓–⅔ in. long, about 1 in. broad, dusky-brown, the two upper close together, on very short peduncles or subsessile, the third (when present) usually remote, on a slender erect peduncle sometimes 3 in. long; bracts leafy, rather short, but the upper exceeding the inflorescence. Male glumes narrow, membranous, terminating in a very long foliaceous awn. Female glumes with a small lanceolate or linear-oblong base ending in a serrulate awn equalling or shorter than the utricle. Utricles spreading when ripe, about ⅛ in. long, broadly oblong or ovoid, turgid, obscurely trigonous, strongly nerved, dull-brown; beak very short, tipped with 2 pale-brown teeth. Styles 3. Nut obovoid-oblong, pale, trigonous.—Boott, Ill. Car. iv. 161, t. 632; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 447. C. striata, R. Br. Prodr. 243 (not of Michaux).
North Island: Auckland—Marshes at Lake Tongonge, near Kaitaia, R. H. Matthews!
An Australian plant, ranging from Queensland to Victoria; also found in Japan. Mr. Matthews, who is the first to observe it in New Zealand, considers it to be indigenous, and there is nothing improbable in its occurrence in the extreme north of the colony.
​48. C. flava, Linn. Sp. Plant. 975.—Rhizome short, tufted. Culms tufted, smooth, trigonous with the angles somewhat acute, leafy, 2–8 in. high. Leaves usually longer than the culms in New Zealand specimens, yellow-green when dry, flat, 1/15–1/8 broad, spreading or recurved; margins slightly scabrid. Spikelets 3–8, yellow-green, closely approximate or rarely the lowest remote; terminal one (rarely two) male, slender, ¼–¾ in. long; remainder all female but usually with a few male flowers at the top, ovoid or roundish, ¼–½ in. long, squarrose, sessile or the lowest sometimes peduncled; bracts long, leafy, spreading. Glumes ovate, obtuse, membranous; margins pale, sometimes hyaline. Utricles much exceeding the glumes, spreading or deflexed, ovoid, trigonous, inflated, strongly ribbed, pale yellow-green, suddenly narrowed into a long slender scabrid 2-toothed beak. Styles 3. Nut obovoid, trigonous.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 444; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 439. C. cataractæ, R. Br. Prodr. 242; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 101, t. 151; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 315; Boott, Ill. Car. iv. t. 204. C. novæ-seelandiæ, Boeck. in Flora (1878), 169.
South Island: Mountain districts from Nelson to Foveaux Strait. Usually from 1500 to 3500 ft., but descends to sea-level in several scattered localities. December–February.
Found also in Australia, Tasmania, and Chili in the Southern Hemisphere, and very widely distributed in the north temperate zone. New Zealand specimens have a smaller utricle than in typical C. flava, and the beak is shorter. They thus approach the var. Œderi, which is often kept as a distinct species.
49. C. vaccilans, Sol. ex Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 285.—Culms tufted, slender, weak, triquetrous with the angles scabrid, leafy, 10–18 in. high. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, ⅛–¼ in. broad, flat or keeled towards the base, striate, usually with a conspicuous nerve on each side of the stout midrib; margins and midrib beneath sharply scabrid. Spikelets 4–9, 1–3 in. long, about ⅛ in. broad, bright red-brown; terminal 1–3 male, sometimes mixed with a few female flowers; remainder female, usually with a few male flowers at the base, the two or three lower ones remote, nodding, on long filiform peduncles, the upper ones closer together and on shorter stalks or subsessile; bracts long, leafy. Glumes ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, entire, gradually narrowed into a short or rather long awn, red-brown; margins paler, often lacerate. Utricles usually longer than the glumes, stipitate, fusiform, triquetrous, conspicuously costate-nerved, red-brown, narrowed into a long slender beak with 2 acute teeth. Styles 3. Nut elliptic-oblong, whitish, trigonous.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 317; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 440. C. spinirostris, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 335.
North Island: Not uncommon on declivities in dry woods, especially near the sea. October–November.
​A very distinct species, easily recognised by the long and very slender red-brown spikelets, narrow entire glumes, and fusiform strongly ribbed long-beaked utricles.
50. C. Cockayniana, Kukenthal, MS.—Culms slender, trigonous, smooth or slightly scabrid, leafy, 1–2 ft. high. Leaves usually longer than the culms, ⅕–⅓ in. broad, flat, striate; margins scabrid above. Spikelets 5–8, 1½–3 in. long, about ¼ in. broad, usually remote but sometimes the upper approximate, bright red-brown or pale-brown; terminal one male, generally with female flowers at the top, which sometimes occupy quite one-half the spikelet; remainder all female, usually with male flowers at the base, all on filiform peduncles and nodding, or the upper almost sessile and erect; bracts long, leafy. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, entire or emarginate, membranous, red-brown; keel greenish, produced into a short awn. Utricles equalling the glumes or rather shorter than them, spreading when ripe, stipitate, narrow-elliptic, trigonous, strongly costate-nerved, pale yellow-brown, narrowed into a short stout minutely 2-toothed beak. Styles 3. Nut trigonous.—C. cinnamomea, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 301 (not of Olney). C. Forsteri, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 440 (in part).
South Island: Nelson—Graham River; sources of the Takaka River, T.F.C; Mount Kelvin (near Westport), Townson! Westland—Kelly's Hill, Petrie! Cockayne! Otago—Clinton Valley, Petrie! 500–4000 ft. November–January.
This differs from C. vaccilans in the stouter habit, broader leaves, thicker spikelets, and broader and shorter utricles, which want the slender deeply bifid beak of that species.
51. C. semi-Forsteri, C. B. Clarke MS. in Herb. Kew.—Culms tufted, stout or slender, trigonous, slightly scabrid above, 1–3 ft. high. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, broad, ⅕–⅓ in. diam. or even more, flat, striate, often with a stout nerve on each side of the midrib; margins and midrib beneath sharply scabrid. Spikelets 5–9, distant or the upper 2–3 somewhat approximate, 1–3 in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, greenish or greenish-brown; terminal one male at the base with the upper half or sometimes three-quarters female; remainder all female, but usually with a few male flowers at the base, the uppermost subsessile, the rest pedunculate, the peduncle of the lowermost sometimes elongated; bracts very long and leafy. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, membranous, pale-ferruginous or whitish-green; midrib pale, produced into a short or long serrulate awn. Utricles longer or shorter than the glumes, spreading when ripe, elliptic-lanceolate, trigonous, nerved, greenish or greenish-brown; beak ½–¾ as long as the utricle, with 2 linear acute teeth. Styles 3. Nut obovoid-oblong, trigonous.—C. Forsteri, Boott, Ill. Car. t. 137 (not of Wahl.).
Kermadec Islands: T.F.C., Miss Shakespear! North and South Islands: Not uncommon throughout. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–January.
I have taken up this species from notes kindly supplied to me by Mr. C. B. Clarke. It has the habit and most of the characters of C. Forsteri, but the terminal spikelet is invariably largely female at the top, whereas it is wholly male in C. Forsteri. Small states approach C. Cockayniana, which often has the terminal spikelet partly female; but that species has the beak of the utricle much shorter, with two very obscure teeth. Mr. Colenso's C. sexspicata (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 342) may be the same species, and, if so, his name muse take precedence. There are no specimens in his herbarium.
52. C. Forsteri, Wahl. in Vet. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. (1803) 154.—Culms tufted, stout or rather slender, trigonous, grooved, scabrid above, leafy, 1½–3 ft. high. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, broad, ⅕–⅓ in. diam., flat, harsh, striate; margins and midrib beneath sharply scabrid. Spikelets 5–10, distant, 1½–3 in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, green or pale ferruginous; terminal 1–3 (usually 2) male, slender; remainder all female but commonly with male flowers either above or below, the upper 2–3 sessile or nearly so, the rest pedunculate, sometimes compound; bracts very long and leafy. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, membranous, ferruginous with a pale-green centre; midrib stout, produced into a short or rather long awu. Utricles equalling or exceeding the glumes, spreading when ripe, almost sessile or very shortly stipitate, elliptic-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, trigonous, nerved; beak ½–⅗ the length of the utricle, linear, with 2 lanceolate acute teeth. Styles 3. Nut obovoid-oblong, trigonous.—Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 285; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 315 (in part); Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 440. C. recurva, Schkuhr. Riedgr. i. 120. C. debilis, Forst. Prodr. n. 550. C. punctulata, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 119, t. 21.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon from the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–January.
53. C. pseudo-cyperus, Linn. Sp. Plant. 978.—Culms tufted, stout, triquetrous, scabrid on the angles, leafy, 1–3 ft. high. Leaves often longer than the culms, flat, broad, grassy, ⅓–½ in. diam.; margins scabrid. Spikelets 3–5, rarely more, usually clustered towards the top of the stem or the lowest one remote, 1–2½ in. long, pale-green; terminal one male, rarely female at the top, slender; remainder all female, long-peduncled and nodding, or in small specimens subsessile and erect, dense-flowered; bracts long, leafy. Glumes small, greenish-white, linear-oblong, suddenly narrowed into a stout serrulate awn. Utricles usually exceeding the glumes, spreading or even reflexed when ripe, stipitate, ovate-lanceolate, trigonous, somewhat inflated, strongly ribbed, greenish; beak ⅓–½ as long as the utricle, deeply split at the apex into two ​long and narrow almost pungent teeth. Styles 3. Nut small, obovoid, trigonous.—R. Br. Prodr. 243; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 448; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 441. C. Forsteri, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 315, in part (not of Wahl).
Var. fascicularis.—Rather taller and stouter. Spikelets 2–4 in. long, often pale red-brown when mature, further apart and on longer peduncles, that of the lowest sometimes 4–8 in. long. Utricles broader and more truncate at the base, suddenly narrowed into a longer linear stalk; beak narrower.—C. fascicularis, Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 283.
North and South Islands: Abundant throughout in marshes or swampy woods. Sea-level to 3000 ft. November–February.
Widely spread through the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Mr. C. B. Clarke is inclined to maintain the var. fascicularis as a distinct species.