Flora of New Zealand Series

 C. lucida Boott in Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 283 non Clairv. Man. Herb. Suisse 1811, 292.

Original localities: "On sides of abrupt clayey declivities, woods, between Norsewood and Dannevirke, Waipawa Country, 1881–1883." Lectotype: WELT, 21765; selected by Hamlin (Rec. Dom. Mus., Wellington 6, 1968, 110).

Often densely tufted. Culms 35–75 cm. × 0.5–1 mm., or occ. slightly wider, close-packed, trigonous or subtrigonous, smooth or slightly scabrid for a short distance below infl., often elongating very much in fr. up to c. 180 cm. and becoming prostrate; basal sheaths dark brown, occ. tinged with red-purple, nerves ± distinct. Lvs ∞, us. > culms, 1.5–2.5–(4) mm. wide, bright shining green or reddish, spreading or drooping at the tips, channelled, margins sharply scabrid. Spikes 4–8; terminal 1–2–(3) spikes male, close together, slender; remaining spikes female, 1.5–3–(4) cm. × 3–5 mm., us. distant, us. pedunculate but ± erect, often male at the base, rarely male at the top also. Glumes ± = utricles, broadly ovate, us. obtuse, often with fimbriate margins, occ. almost emarginate, subcoriac., dark or light red-brown, occ. distinctly nerved, midrib distinct and thickened, conspicuously light brown, almost cream, produced to a short, slightly scabrid awn. Utricles 2–2.5–(3) × c. 1.5 mm., unequally biconvex, almost plano-convex, elliptic-ovoid, light brown at base, us. dark brown towards the top, smooth and shining, or faintly nerved on the more convex face, margins glab., rarely very slightly scabrid below beak; beak c. 0.4 mm. long, acutely bidentate, margins slightly scabrid; stipe c. 0.3 mm. long. Stigmas 2. Nut < 1.5 mm. long, biconvex, ovoid-oblong, dark brown.

DIST.: K., N., S., St.

Throughout in damp ground in the open or on forest margins from sea level to 1,100 m. altitude.

C. lucida Boott. The original localities are "Northern Island; in grassy places, frequent Banks and Solander etc."

Field workers in the North Id have noted some differences between inland plants (as represented by the type) and plants growing near the coast. Coastal plants us. have rather wider spikes, and darker glumes and utricles, and generally the culms do not elongate at maturity, while elongating culms are characteristic of the inland plants which sometimes also have red lvs. Differences between coastal and inland plants have not been surely recognised in the South Id.