Flora of New Zealand Series

C. dissita Boott var. solandri (Boott) Kük. in Pflanzenr. 38, 1909, 692.

Original localities: "Northern Island; East Coast, Banks and Solander, Colenso". Lecto-type: K, Colenso, 4186; isotype at WELT.

Dense yellow-green tufts, upper part of lvs and culms drooping. Culms 10–80 cm. × c. 1 mm., trigonous, smooth; basal sheaths red-brown, red-purple to black. Lvs < or = culms, (1.5)–2.5–6.5 mm. wide, linear, double-folded, hard. Infl. of 5–10 distant spikes 1–4–(5) cm. long, nodding on long filiform peduncles; terminal 1–4 spikes male, slender, us. approximate; remaining spikes female with a few male fls above or below, 3–4 mm. diam., us. almost black, lowermost spikes often compound; subtending bracts lfy, > infl. Glumes (excluding awn) ± = or < utricles, ovate, lanceolate, entire or rarely emarginate, light or dark brown, membr., midrib produced to a scabrid awn of varying length. Utricles 2–3 mm. long, slightly > 1mm. diam., plano-convex, unequally biconvex or subtrigonous, fusiform or ovoid, turgid, dark red-brown to almost black, occ. light brown, pale yellow towards the base, surface smooth, occ. faintly nerved at the base, shining; scarcely narrowed above to a bidentate beak < 0.5 mm. long, margins smooth or occ. scabrid, orifice us. scabrid; rarely contracted to a stipe c. 0.2 mm. long. Stigmas 3. Nut c. 1 mm. long, trigonous, obovoid, cream, surface minutely but deeply pitted giving angles of nut a serrate appearance.

DIST.: N. Throughout, but more common on the eastern side. S. Almost throughout, but rare in Fiordland and not recorded from Southland. St.

In forest or in damp ground, often on river flats from sea level to 600 m. altitude.

The long filiform peduncles and the dark-coloured mature utricles are distinctive features of this sp.