Flora of New Zealand Series

S. novae-zealandiae Col. in T.N.Z.I.  18,  1886,  277.

Schoenoplectus americanus (Pers.) Volkart in Schinz and Keller Fl. Schweiz  1,  1905,  75.

Three-square.

Type locality: N. American. Also in temperate Europe, S. America and in Australia south of c. lat. 30º.

Summer-green perennial. Rhyzome 2–8 mm. diam., woody, with thin, grey, papery scales at the nodes and reddish fibrous roots. Culms (15)–30–60–(120) cm. × 1–4 mm., triquetrous, with concave sides, smooth, soft, pale sea-green; 1–2 thin, membr. sheaths at base. Lvs 1–4, < stem, 1–3 mm. wide, linear, channelled, becoming triangular with margins sparingly scabrid towards the obtuse tip, adaxial surface membr. with internal septa clearly visible; sheaths long, closed, largely membr. Infl. apparently lateral, of 1–4 unequal, closely compacted, sessile spikelets; subtending bract 2–6 cm. long, similar to stem and continuous with it, scabrid towards the tip. Spikelets 6–11×3–5 mm., ovate, elliptic, dark purple-brown. Glumes broadly ovate, smooth, membr., margins fimbriate, emarginate, midrib produced to a mucro <, = or rarely slightly > small, round teeth of glume apex. Hypog. bristles 2–6, < nut, retrorsely scabrid, red-brown. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut c. 3×2 mm., obovoid, plano-convex to subtrigonous, prominently apiculate, smooth, grey-brown.

DIST.: N. From the Coromandel peninsula southwards. S. Local along the coast but not known in Westland or Fiordland. Ch.

Salt marshes and brackishwater swamps, us, near the coast but inland on the Waikato R., and in Canterbury at the Pareora Gorge, and in Central Otago.

S. novae-zelandiae Col. : "Sandy flats, low margins of rivers, Hawke's Bay; W.C. Near Puketapu; 1885: Mr D. P. Balfour." WELT 22104 is from Sandy flats, W. Porangahau. [Hawke's Bay], Colenso 3813.

The names S. americanus var. polyphyllus (Boeck.) Beetle and S. americanus var. monophyllus (C. B. Presl) Koyama (see Koyama in Can. J. Bot. 41, 1963,1111) have been applied to N.Z. Specimens.