Flora of New Zealand Series

Chaetospora axillaris R.Br. Prodr.  1810,  233.

 S. axillaris (R.Br.) Poir. Encycl. Suppl. 2, 1811, 251 non Lam. Illustr. 1, 1791, 137.

Scirpus foliatus Hook. f. in J. Bot., Lond.  3,  1844,  414.

Schoenus subaxillaris Kük. in Fedde Repert. Spec. nov. Regn. veg.  44,  1938,  89.

Schoenus foliatus (Hook. f.) Blake in Proc. roy. Soc. Qd  51,  Feb. 1940,  48.

Schoenus foliatus (Hook. f.) Kük. in Fedde Repert. Spec. nov. Regn. veg.  48,  Sept., 1940,  248.

Type locality: Australian. Type: BM (Chaetospora axillaris). Also recorded from New Guinea and the Philippines.

Small, flaccid, tufted or spreading, green and lfy. Culms (3)–5–15–(20) cm. × c. 0.5 mm., often trailing and rooting at the nodes, branched towards the tip, bright green. Lvs 1–3.5 cm. × 0.5–1 mm., almost flat, alternate, spreading, obtuse, margins us. slightly toothed towards lf-tip; sheath enclosing c. ⅓ internode, membr., often red-purple. Spikelets 1–3 in the axils of the lvs, 2–3 mm. long, 1–2-fld, light brown or reddish purple, sessile or on short, scabrid stalks. Glumes 5, ovate-lanceolate, ± obtuse, 2 lowest smaller, empty, membr., mucronate, 1–2 upper glumes fertile, margins hyaline, median nerve pale green. Hypog. bristles 6, rarely fewer, white or yellow-brown, thread-like, slightly > or occ. < nut persistent. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut c. 1 mm. long, slightly < 1 mm. wide, elliptic-ovoid, white, angles green and thickened, tip acute, occ. with a small trigonous, persistent style-base.

DIST.: N. Throughout, S. Nelson, Westland, Canterbury at Arthur's Pass, Southland at Lake Manapouri and Bluff. St., Ch.

In damp places from sea level to 900 m. altitude.

Scirpus foliatus Hook. f. Lectotype: K, "marshes and wet rocks, Bay of Islands", J. D. Hooker, 379.

Blake in Proc. roy. Soc. Qd 60, 1950, 47 gives the history of the synonymy of S. maschalinus.

Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 229 under S. axillaris) notes that this sp. is "easily recognised by the slender creeping or diffuse habit, leafy stems, spikelets in twos or threes in the axils of the leaves, and small white nut."