Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Southern extreme of N.Z. Port Preservation." Lectotype: K, H 297/57, Lyall. There is some admixture of Centrolepis ciliata in some clumps of the type sheet.

Cushions compact, occ. 30–90 cm. across. Roots fibrous. Stems 2–8 cm. long, erect. Lvs 0.5–2 cm. long, much < 0.5 mm. wide, distichous, stiff and erect, glab., linear-setaceous, tapering to a long acicular tip; sheath almost = lamina in length, glab., shining, brown, produced at the tip into a ligule. Flowering stems > lvs, naked, terminated by 2–3 alternate glume-like, minutely papillate bracts; each bract enclosing 1 pseudanthium only, the third or uppermost bract sterile; hyaline scales 0. ♂, 2 in each pseudanthium. ♀, 2 in each pseudanthium, styles not connate; occ. 1 ovary aborts. Fr. slightly > 0.5 mm. long, oblong-ovoid, surface faintly and irregularly reticulate.

DIST.: S. Mountain bogs throughout from 1,000–1,350 m. altitude. St. At lower altitudes, from c. 450 m.

Also recorded from Tasmania and New Guinea.

FL. 11–1. FT. 1–3.