Flora of New Zealand Series

Grass-like, densely tufted. Leaves 2-5-(6) mm wide, < stems, occasionally almost = stems at flowering, bright green, margins slightly villous throughout, tip obtuse; sheaths with a thick tuft of tangled hairs at mouth, especially noticeable in cauline leaves. Flowering stems 20-60-(75) cm high, erect. Inflorescence a rounded or lobed head, often more than 1 cm in diam., consisting of a large central ± oblong cluster occasionally with 1- (3) smaller lateral clusters on long peduncles. Flowers 3-3.5 mm long, not close-set, with bases of flowers and rhachis between visible; tepals red-brown with broad whitish membranous margins. Stamens 6; anthers ± = filaments. Capsule < tepals, red-brown. Seeds with conspicuous white caruncle.

N.,S. Nelson; Westland; Fiordland - Lake Gunn, Rainbow Reach, Lake Monowai; Otago; Southland - Longwood Range, near Invercargill. St. Scattered in second class and reverting pasture; often in damp ground (Europe)

First collection: "Ruakura, Waikato", A. Stuart, 16.12.1927 (CHR 1841).

First record: Barros 1953: 352, as "L. campestris (L.) DC. var. congesta (Thuill.) Buchenau".

Edgar (N.Z. J. Bot. 13, 1975, 784) noted that L. congesta and L. multiflora (but not L. campestris) have very obvious papillae on the leaf-margins. These papillae appear as minute "teeth" along the leaf-margin at a magnification of about 25 ×. In contrast to these two adventive spp. all native spp. have smooth leaf-margins except for the 3 vars of L. picta and even in these the papillae are not numerous.