Flora of New Zealand Series

Kauri grass.

Type locality; Great Omaha, Rodney County. Type: K, T. Kirk n. 513, April 1866.

Robust tufted plant. Lvs to 100–300 × 2–4.5 cm., ± spreading; just above sheath narrow, keeled and tightly folded, covered in fine whitish felt; sheath broad, clad on both surfaces in white scales; lamina adaxially green, soon losing its inconspicuous scales; abaxially with a very light cover of scales; 3 principal nerves forming a close group on each side of midrib. Infl. at first erect and sts remaining so in fr., most parts covered with ± appressed scales; peduncles 30–70–(130) × c. 1 cm.; panicle 15–70 cm. long; lower spathes long; racemes ∞, lax and wide-spreading in male, stiffer and ± parallel to main axis in female, all except the smallest spathes subtending sub-infls of 3–(5) racemes. Fls pedicellate and us. well spaced; per. dull maroon, divided almost to base; tepals (2.5)–3–5–(6) mm. long, spreading in ♂, more erect in ♀, the surfaces exposed in bud scaly to tip. Ovary 1-locular, reddish with evident style. Fr. c. 4–5 mm. diam., globose with clearly projecting short style, deep crimson, ± translucent, seated on dry membr. per. Seeds < 2 mm. long, diam. c. ½ length, terete and ± curved, smooth and shining, the funicular end carunculate. n = 105.

DIST.: N., north of c. lat. 38º. S., west Nelson.

Terrestrial in forests, occ. an accidental low epiphyte.

FL. 3–6. FT. 7–5.