Flora of New Zealand Series

C. forsteri Wahl. var. fascicularis (Boott) Hook. f. Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 315.

C. pseudocyperus L. var. fascicularis (Boott) Boott Ill. Car. 4, 1867, 141.

Original locality: New Zealand. Type: "In Herb. Kew" fide Hamlin in T.R.S.N.Z. 84, 1957, 684.

Tufts large, soft, pale green. Culms 60–110 cm. × 1.5–2.5 mm., triquetrous, very finely scabrid; basal sheaths grey. Lvs rather > culms, (4)–6–13 mm. wide, double-folded, with prominent cross-veinlets on lamina and sheath. Spikes 4–6; uppermost 1–(2) spikes male; remaining spikes female, (2)–5–7 cm. × 8–11 mm., us. slightly < male spikes, ± distant, pedunculate, pend. Glumes (excluding awn) c. ½ length of utricle, lanceolate, light brown, margins of upper half fimbriate or lacerate, midrib produced to a scabrid awn c. = glume in length. Utricles (4)–5–5.5–(6) × 1–1.5 mm., subtrigonous or inflated and biconvex, ovoid, distinctly nerved, light green, strongly reflexed; beak 1.5–2 mm. long, entirely glab.; stipe c. 1 mm. long, abruptly narrowed. Stigmas 3. Nut 1.5–2 mm. long, trigonous with thickened angles, obovoid, pale yellow-brown.

DIST.: N. Between lat. 35º and 38º.

Lowland, in swampy ground.

This robust wide-lvd sp. can be distinguished from all other N.Z. spp. except C. maorica by the prominent cross-veinlets on sheaths and lvs, the very short glumes with lacerate or fimbriate margins and the submembr., strongly nerved, spreading utricles which are quite glab.