Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 119477! V. D. Zotov Beeman Hill, Campbell I, 3.1.1961.

Lax, robust tufts. Leaf-sheath glabrous, ± striate. Ligule 3-5 mm, ± chartaceous, hairy, erose to variously lobed. Leaf-blade 30-75 cm × 8-12 mm, tapering, abaxially glabrous, adaxially scabrid on prominent ribs; margins thick, toothed. Culm 60-120 cm, internodes glabrous, ridged. Panicle 15-30 cm, ± erect; branches 1-2 at each node, glabrous, naked below, spikelets densely crowded above; pedicels scabrid to villous. Glumes subequal, ± membranous with wide scarious margin and tip, ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, keeled; upper 7-9 mm, 3-nerved. Florets included by glumes, brown to dark brown at maturity. ♂ florets: lemma 6-8 mm, oblong-ovate, lobes 1-1.25 mm erose and scarious-tipped, sparsely finely scabrid, long hairs at base, margins sparsely long-ciliate; awns 3-7 mm, slender, ± straight, insertion 1-2 mm below apex; palea 5-6 mm, membranous, keels ciliate; lodicules 0.5-1 mm, ± ovate, acute, irregularly 1-2-lobed, glabrous; callus hairs to 1 mm; anthers 2.5-3.5 mm. ⚥ floret: lemma c. 5 mm, narrow-ovate, glabrous, apex minutely hairy, muticous or subapically mucronate with mucro 0-0.5 mm; palea ≈ lemma, keel toothed ± to base, ovate-lanceolate; lodicules c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; anthers 1.5-2 mm; gynoecium: ovary 1 mm, stigma-styles 5-6 mm; caryopsis 2.0-2.5 × 0.75 mm, embryo 0.5 mm, hilum 0.75-1 mm.

N.: Kapiti Id off western Wellington coast; S.: western and southern coasts, southwards from Westport, rare in Westland, more common in Fiordland and Southland; St.; Ch., A., C. Coastal.

Endemic.

Zotov (1973 op. cit.) suggests that the dispersal of H. fusca may be linked with the nesting sites of sea birds.

Proliferating spikelets occur in CHR 301473 W. B. Brockie Campbell I, Jan 1947; CHR 301469 idem has normal flowers.