Rytidosperma viride (Zotov) Connor & Edgar
≡Notodanthonia viridis Zotov, N.Z. J. Bot. 1: 108 (1963);
Holotype: CHR 2484! V. D. Zotov Onetapu Desert, Volcanic Plateau, 5.4.1931.
Stiff, rather dark purple-green tussocks; leaves semi-pungent, somewhat < culms, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous below, purplish above, usually glabrous or with some scattered long hairs; apical tuft of hairs 3-4-(6) mm. Ligule (0.2)-0.8-1.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 35 cm, stiff, inrolled, glabrous or occasionally scattered long hairs, margins often scabrid above ligule and near tip. Culm to 45-(55) cm, internodes smooth or sometimes fine-scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle ± erect, to 10 cm, of few large spikelets on very slender pedicels; rachis and pedicels closely short-scabrid with some long hairs occasionally at branch axils. Spikelets 3-4-(5)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes blackish purple centrally, linear-lanceolate, subobtuse, (6)-8-12 mm, ± equal; lower 5-(7)-nerved, upper 3-(5)-nerved. Lemma 2.5-3 mm, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs very dense and continuous, upper row ≥ lemma lobes, lower row overlapping upper, shorter hairs scattered elsewhere; lobes (3.7)-4-4.7 mm, tapering to fine awn; central awn 8-11 mm, column 1-1.5 mm, ≈ palea, < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.5-4.5 mm, reaching about ½ way up upper lemma hairs, long hairs on interkeel below and on margins. Callus c. 0.5 mm, marginal hair tufts long, abundant, much overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.7-1 mm. Anthers (0.8)-1-1.5-(2) mm. Caryopsis 1.4-1.7 × 0.6-0.7 mm; embryo 0.5-0.8 mm; hilum 0.3 mm. Plate 11F.
N.: Mt Egmont, central mountains, and Raukumara and Coromandel Ranges; S.: north-west Nelson (Cobb Valley, Spey River, Lake Aorere). Rocky places in montane and subalpine zones.
Endemic.
INCERTAE SEDIS
Two specimens from Canterbury, CHR 89588 A. J. Healy Harewood, on the dry shingly land of an old river terrace, Oct 1955, and CHR 92848 R. D. Dick Darfield - Hororata foothill country, Dec 1955, are not referrable to any known taxon; both appear to be naturalised plants.
