Festuca actae Connor
≡F. ovina subsp. matthewsii var. grandiflora Howarth, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 48: 66 (1928)
≡F. novae-zelandiae var. grandiflora (Howarth) St.-Yves, Candollea 4: 298 (1931) a combination based on var. grandiflora is preoccupied by F. grandiflora Lam. (1791);
Lectotype: K! A. Wall Lyttelton-Sumner Rd., sea level; close to Christchurch, Dec 1920 (Wall 7, page 5; Howarth I; Saint-Yves 1-I) (designated by Connor 1998 op. cit. p. 335).
=F. ovina subsp. novae-zelandiae var. grandiflora Howarth, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 48: 64 (1928);
Lectotype: K! D. Petrie grown by Dr. Petrie in his garden at Auckland from plant at Sumner Road, Lyttelton (Wall 8, page 53; Howarth XXIII; Saint-Yves 8-XXIII) (designated by Connor 1998 op. cit. p. 335).
=F. ovina subsp. matthewsii var. eu-matthewsii Howarth, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 48: 65 (1928) non Hack. (1903), nom. invalid.;
Lectotype: K photo! A. Wall Diamond Harbour, Lyttelton Harbour, near Christchurch among rocks at sea level (Wall 3, page 17; Howarth V; Saint-Yves 3-V) (designated by Connor 1998 op. cit. p. 335).
=F. petriei forma tenuifolia Howarth, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 48: 71 (1928);
Holotype: K! A. Wall Lyttelton-Sumner Rd. 24 Dec. [1920]. "The more slender form of F. nov. zel." (Wall 8, page 35; Howarth XIV; Saint-Yves 8-XIV).
Slender tussock with intravaginal branches, with fine and long glaucous leaf-blades. Prophyll 3-5 cm, keels irregularly but mostly antrorsely ciliate. Leaf-sheath 5-10 cm, stramineous occasionally reddened, glabrous, striate, margins becoming membranous; apical auricles 0.4-0.7 mm, truncate or rounded, ciliate. Ligule as for auricles. Collar 0.6-1.7 mm, manifestly thickened, usually becoming brown coloured, adaxially with many small white hairs. Leaf-blade 20-60 cm × 0.4-0.7 mm diam., terete or hexagonal and ribbed, glaucous, glabrous except for prickle-teeth at pointed apex, disarticulating at collar, adaxially and on margin a multitude of small (0.1-0.15 mm) white hairs; TS: 5 vascular bundles, 7-11 sclerenchyma strands. Culm 25-60 cm, erect or geniculate at base, nodes 2-3 evident, internodes glabrous. Panicle 5-25 cm, with 7-9 nodes of 10-30 spikelets; basal branches 4-5 cm, binate, lax, of 2-6 spikelets and naked below, soon becoming single ascending branches, uppermost 3-5 spikelets solitary on pedicels; rachis glabrous or sparsely prickle-toothed below becoming more so, branches and pedicels prickle-toothed. Spikelets 10-17 mm × 6 mm, of 4-7-(12) florets. Glumes unequal, keeled, prickle-teeth on keel and at apex, variously elsewhere, usually green centrally lighter at margins, sometimes purpled, margin ciliate; lower 3-4.5 mm, 1-nerved, long triangular acute, upper 4.5-7.5 mm, 3-nerved occasionally 5-nerved, narrowly ovate, acute to obtuse. Lemma 6-9 mm, rounded, lobes small (0.1-0.2 mm), glaucous, prickle-teeth from outer nerve to ciliate margin, scattered elsewhere, denser near awn; awn 0.1-2.5 mm. Palea 6-8 mm, sometimes > lemma, deeply (0.4-0.6 mm) bifid, keels toothed to base or nearly so, flanks and interkeel hairy above. Callus 0.2-0.5 mm, margin very short stiff hairy; articulation flat. Rachilla 1-1.5 mm, very shortly antrorsely stiff hairy. Lodicules 0.7-1.5 mm, lobed or entire, hair-tipped. Anthers 3.5-4.4 mm, yellow. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5-1 mm, hispid hairs at apex (0.12 mm) in 2 lateral groups or occasionally surrounding apex and longer; stigma-styles 1.4-2.8 mm. Caryopsis 3-4.8 mm; embryo 1 mm; hilum 1.7-3 mm.
S.: Banks Peninsula. Rocks at sea level, rock outcrops and bluffs; sea level to 700 m.
Endemic.
Two distinct rachis vestures are present in F. actae : (i) abundant small prickles covering the whole rachis in the style of F. novae-zelandiae, (ii) prickles on the trigonous rachis margins. The former is found on plants from Port Hills, e.g., CHR 5016, CHR 202745-7, CHR 333045, WELT 68792, AK 215000, which are mostly "grandifloras". Prickle-toothed angles are found on specimens from the Peninsula proper, e.g., CHR 202748, CHR 221842, CHR 403939 but CHR 370394 J. M. Hay Whisky Bay, has some prickle-teeth on the rachis surfaces although not as densely as on those from the Port Hills.
Fine-leaved specimens, to which forma tenuifolia could apply, are for example: CHR 202753 L. B. Moore Lyttelton, Dec 1970; CHR 202746 V. D. Zotov Evans Pass, Dec 1970; CHR 357484 E. Edgar & B. A. Matthews Lyttelton, Dec 1979.
