Flora of New Zealand Series

P. antipoda Petrie, in Chilton Subantarct. Is N.Z. 2: 478 (1909)

; Lectotype: WELT 66428! T. Kirk Antipodes Island, Jan. 1890 (No 1474 to Hackel) (designated by Edgar 1986 op. cit. p. 454).

Soft, ± drooping, light green stoloniferous perennial tufts, c. 20-60 cm, rooting at nodes; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green to light brown, submembranous, distinctly ribbed, glabrous. Ligule 1-4.5 mm, entire, apically glabrous, gradually narrowed and subacute, abaxially slightly scabrid. Leaf-blade 7.5-25 cm × 2-4.5 mm, flat, soft, smooth almost throughout but minutely scabrid abaxially near straight-sided narrow acute tip and adaxially just above ligule. Culm (8)-18-50 cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 5-15 cm, ± lax and usually open with spreading branches; rachis usually ± smooth, branches ± smooth to sparsely scabrid. Spikelets 4-6 mm, (2)-3-4-flowered, brownish green. Glumes ± unequal, narrow-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, glabrous, apart from a few prickle-teeth on midrib in upper ½; lower 1.5-3 mm, 1-nerved, upper 2-3.5 mm, 3-nerved. Lemma 2.5-5 mm, 3-(5)-nerved, ± elliptic, acute, with long hairs on lower ½ of midnerve and at base of lateral nerves and fine prickle-teeth on midnerve above, internerves glabrous or sometimes slightly scabrid near tip. Palea 2-4 mm, keels shortly ciliate-scabrid, interkeel glabrous. Callus with narrow tuft of long fine hairs. Rachilla 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules 0.4-0.5 mm. Anthers 0.5-1 mm, mainly pollen-sterile. Caryopsis not seen.

St.: Herekopere Id; Ant., A., C. Coastal on cliffs and rock outcrops; inland on damp banks, and in herbfield.

Endemic.

No mature caryopses were found among the many specimens of P. antipoda examined at CHR, AK, and WELT (Edgar 1986 op. cit. 455).