Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 369894A! A. P. Druce Pike P[ea]k, Allen Ra., NW Nelson, 4900 ft, limestone scree, Feb. 1982; ♀.

Long-rhizomatous, narrow-leaved, greyish green perennial tufts, to 25 cm; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light greenish brown, faintly purpled above, smooth or occasionally scabrid between ribs, membranous, keeled, with a few prominent ribs. Ligule 0.5-1-(1.5) mm, apically glabrous, entire, truncate with ± abrupt central peak, abaxially minutely pubescent-scabrid. Leaf-blade (2)-5-9-(12) cm, inrolled, c. 1 mm diam., wiry, abaxially glabrous, adaxially glabrous or with scattered short hairs especially near margins; tip acicular. Culm 10-25 cm, slender, internodes glabrous. Panicle 2-4.5-(6) cm, with few, ± spreading branches; rachis glabrous, branches very slender, glabrous, tipped by very few, narrow spikelets. Spikelets 6-9 mm, 3-4-flowered, greenish brown. Glumes subequal, glabrous, rarely with a few minute prickle-teeth on midnerve near tip, acute to subobtuse; lower (3)-3.5-4 mm, 1-3-nerved, narrow-elliptic, upper (3.5)-4-4.5 mm, 3-5-nerved, more broadly ovate. Lemma 4.5-5-(6) mm, 5-7-(9)-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, glabrous apart from short hairs on lower ⅔ of midnerve and on lateral nerves near base, with some longer hairs at very base, smooth apart from minute prickle-teeth on nerves near tip, and near narrow-membranous, entire margins. Palea 3-4-(5) mm, much narrower and « lemma, keels sparsely, minutely fine-ciliate, interkeel finely scabrid, flanks glabrous. Callus with tufts of long fine hairs below lemma nerves. Rachilla < 1 mm, smooth, or occasionally with a few microscopic prickle-teeth. Lodicules 0.3-0.5 mm. Dioecious: ♂ with anthers 2.9-3.3 mm, gynoecium 0.7-1.3 mm; ♀ with pollen-sterile anthers 0.6-1-(1.2) mm, ovary 0.3-0.5 mm, stigma-styles 0.75-2.2 mm, mature caryopses not seen.

S.: north-west Nelson, Matiri Range, Pike Peak on Allen Range and Turks Cap Range. Subalpine, on limestone scree and steep mudstone slopes.

Endemic.

Edgar (1986 op. cit. p. 439) cited two specimens from Matiri Range (CHR 354914, CHR 354915) as seed-bearing female plants of P. sudicola; these specimens are now referred to P. novae-zelandiae.

Poa sudicola resembles P. novae-zelandiae and P. subvestita in having comparatively large spikelets on slender, glabrous panicle branches; it is distinguished from both species by the very long rhizomes. The type, from Pike Peak, was sympatric with P. novae-zelandiae and P. subvestita.