Flora of New Zealand Series

; Lectotype: WELT 69440! T. Kirk above Carnley Harbour, Lord Auckland's Group, 12 Jan. 1890 (here designated).

Slender densely leafy tufts (2.5)-4-20-(25) cm, with stiff panicles often scarcely overtopping leaves; drying dull greenish brown. Leaf-sheaths submembranous, rounded, glabrous, light to dark brown, ribs few, ± prominent. Ligule 1.5-2 mm, glabrous, long tapered to acuminate tip. Leaf-blade (2)-3-7-(9) cm × 0.3-0.6 mm diam., involute, strict, glabrous, ribs few; tip hooded, very minutely sparsely prickle-toothed. Culm ± erect, often hidden by leaf-sheaths, internodes glabrous. Panicle 1.5-6 cm, erect, open, often deltoid; rachis glabrous, branches ascending to spreading, glabrous or sparsely minutely prickle-toothed, tipped by 1-2 spikelets. Spikelets 3.5-4.5 mm, light green, not very shining, becoming dull brown. Glumes subequal or unequal, < spikelet, ± keeled, minutely prickle-toothed on midnerve and margins near tip; lower 2-3.3-(4) mm, (1)-3-nerved, narrow- to oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, upper 2.5-4-(4.5) mm, elliptic-lanceolate, 3-nerved, obtuse. Lemma 2-3 mm, ovate-oblong, ± firmly membranous, apex irregularly 4-toothed; awn subapical, 0.2-1-(1.5) mm. Palea ≤ lemma, apex shortly bifid, keels minutely scaberulous. Callus hairs 0.6-1.3 mm, dense. Rachilla hairs 0.6-1 mm, ± dense. Lodicules 0.3 mm. Anthers 0.4-0.8 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.7-0.8 mm; stigma-styles 1.0-1.2 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.4 mm.

S.: Fiordland, rare; St.; A., C. Subalpine to alpine in exposed rocky ground or herbfield, sometimes in boggy ground, 300-1300 m, rarely to sea level in Subantarctic Islands.

Endemic.

Glumes in plants from Fiordland and Stewart Id (2-3 mm) are shorter than in plants from Subantarctic Islands (2.5-4 mm) and the lower glume is 1-nerved rather than 3-nerved.

LECTOTYPIFICATION

There are 5 specimens of D. gracillima at WELT collected by Kirk from Carnley Harbour, Auckland Is, Jan 1890; the lectotype WELT 69440 was labelled "Deschampsia gracillima MS" in Kirk's hand, and Kirk's handwritten description is mounted on the sheet.