Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 184354! R. Bell Ruapuke Beach, 20 December 1967; ♀.

Exceedingly tall, stout tussock with long rhizomes in sand hills and extravaginal branching. Leaf-sheath clothed in long hairs or occasionally only at margins, pale green under heavy white epicuticular wax; contra-ligule present. Ligule to 3 mm. Leaf-blade to 3 m × 3-5 cm, flexible, abaxially glabrous except for prickle-teeth at apex, adaxially with dense weft of long hairs at base becoming fewer on midrib, minute hairs throughout; margins long hairy below becoming slightly scabrid with blunt teeth. Culm to 6 m, white shining, internodes scabrid. Inflorescence to 1 m, erect or nodding, dense, shining, plumose; rachis scabrid below becoming shortly, stiff hairy above, branches and pedicels short stiff hairy, long hairs at axils and below spikelets. Spikelets to 4 cm, of 2-3 florets. Glumes equal, to 40 mm, produced to awn-like apex, > florets; short stiff hairy on keel, prickle-toothed elsewhere. Lemma to 11 mm, 3-nerved, scabrid; lateral lobes to 7.5 mm including awn to 3 mm; hairs to 12 mm, radiating from lower ⅓; central awn to 30 mm. Palea to 9 mm, attenuate, apex scarcely produced, keels ciliate, interkeel and flanks scabrid above. Callus hairs to 4 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm. Lodicules to 0.75 mm, hair-fringed. Anthers of ⚥ flowers to 6 mm, of ♀ flowers to 4 mm. Gynoecium: of ⚥ flowers ovary to 0.7 mm, stigma-styles to 2 mm; of ♀ flowers ovary to 1 mm, stigma-styles to 4 mm. Caryopsis 4-5 mm; embryo to 1 mm; hilum to 2 mm. 2 n = 90.

N.: North Cape to Marakopa in the west and Opotiki on the east; Three Kings Is, and on eastern offshore islands. On sand hills, consolidated sands, rocks and cliffs; sea level to 150 m. FL Dec.

Endemic.

Natural populations comprise 61% ⚥ and 39% ♀ plants.

This is the only endemic species with prominent, long, stout rhizomes; they bind sand in dunes.

OFFSHORE IS

Plants of small stature on some offshore islands in eastern and northern waters were discussed by Connor (1971 op. cit.). CHR 132754, CHR 391835 I. A. E. Atkinson Keyhole Rock near Big Chicken, Hen and Chicken Islands, Mar 1971, are two specimens of small stature. Inflorescences are 12 and 13 cm respectively, and their appropriate subtendings culms are 40 cm and 37 cm. On CHR 313383a,b,c A. P. Druce from the same locality and grown on in an experimental garden, the inflorescence is 27 cm, and the culm 1.63 M. CHR 409059 A.E. Wright 4497, also from Keyhole Rock is taller than the Atkinson specimens; here the inflorescence is 23 cm and the subtending culm 65 cm.

CHR 132752 I. A. E. Atkinson cliff on Little Ohena Id, off the eastern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, is of small stature; CHR 268502a,b from an open ridge on the same island is from a large, robust, wide-leaved specimen.

CHR 354493 A. E. Esler 5907, W. M. Hamilton, R. E. Beever & M. L. Scott from cliffs on Little Barrier Id is correctly described as depauperate; the inflorescence is 19 cm and its culm 39 cm. On CHR 312323a R. L. Bieleski from cliffs, the inflorescence is 18 cm and its culm 48 cm - a little taller than the former. From the foot of a cliff, CHR 312313 R. E. Beever 77058 is much taller; here the inflorescence was c. 50 cm and its culm > 1.70 m; CHR 312322 R. E. Beever 77057, same locality, is smaller - 1.3 m.

CHR 321653a,b A. E. Esler 5701 was originally collected by W. W. E. Sanders in April 1978 from Simmonds Id [Tane 21: 101-102 (1975)]. Esler's specimen from cultivation has culms 2 m; the inflorescence is 45 cm. CHR 260936, 260977 W. W. Sanders Motu Puruhi, the identical locality, are of the same stature.

Among 12 specimens in AK from offshore islands and growing on cliffs or rocks none differs from those described from CHR. On AK 159705 A. E. Wright 4512 Hen & Chickens, the culm is 1.80 m; AK 201226 A. E. Wright 10958 Hen & Chickens, is of short stature but has a short stout rhizome, a condition rare in these habitats compared with the sand of western areas.

There is no necessity to recognise plants of small stature in a formal way when they are simply responses to the difficult environment of cliff faces. Plants from less demanding sites are taller; those transferred to experimental gardens soon correspond to mainland plants.