Flora of New Zealand Series

S. caespitans Petrie in T.N.Z.I.  56,  1926,  9.

Type locality: Ure River, Marlborough. Lectotype: WELT, 20491, late spring, A. Wall, 1923.

Culms 1.5–6 cm. long, < 0.5 mm. diam. Lvs = or > culms. Spikelets 3–5 mm. long, us. 1-fld, or rarely a second male fl. is produced. Glumes with a broad cream centre. Surface cells of nut smaller than in  var. apogon.

DIST.: N. N.W. Ruahines and near the southeastern coast at Whareama and Castlepoint. S. D'Urville Id, in scrub on serpentine rock; Ure Valley and Dashwood Pass, Marlborough; Hunters Hills, South Canterbury.

On hillsides often in fescue tussock grassland from 60–800 m. altitude.

Kükenthal (Fedde Repert. Spec. nov. Regn. veg. 44, 1938, 93) suggested that S. caespitans might be synonymous with his S. apogon var. reductus which was based on Australian specimens. Kükenthal also cited a specimen from Hokianga, Berggren, under var. reductus but this has not been traced and none of the Australian specimens cited by Kükenthal have been seen.