Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Half Moon Bay, Stewart Id. Type: WELT, 2898, Petrie, early Jan., 1913.

Loosely caespitose. Culms (10)–20–40–cm. × c. 0.5 mm., glab. or rarely scabrid below infl.; basal sheaths dark brown, shining. Lvs 4–6 per culm, us. > culm, (1)–1.5–2 mm., wide, dark green, margins moderately scabrid. Spikes 5–7 cm. × c. 2 mm., us. bracteate, the bract lf-like and far overtopping spike, or setose and shorter than spike, female fls c. 15–20, ± equidistant in lower part of spike with internodes to 6 mm. long, c. 2 mm. apart above. Glumes < utricles, deciduous, acuminate, hyaline with green midrib. Utricles 4–5 × c. 1mm., trigonous, elliptic-lanceolate or oblong, green, faintly nerved with the lateral nerves more prominent, scarcely spreading when ripe, stipe 1–1.5 mm. long, beak c. 1mm. long.

DIST.: N. Southwards from lat. 36º. S. Marlborough Sounds and Westland, Fiordland and Otago. St.

Forest or scrub from 300 to 1,200 m. altitude, descending to sea level in the south.

U. gracilenta may be distinguished by its shining, dark brown, basal bracts and the lax-fld spikes with ± equidistant utricles.