Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 277734! A. P. Druce Mt Arthur, NW Nelson, 4200 ft, Marble rocks, "Unnamed sp." S13 09-38-, Jan. 1975.

Leaf-sheath to 25 cm, pale or purpled, glabrous except on margins. Leaf-blade to 85 cm × 10 mm, adaxially with a dense weft of long hairs at base and abundant prickle-teeth above. Inflorescence to 25 cm, densely hairy. Lemma to 6 mm; hairs dense on margin, elsewhere sparse if present, < sinus. Anthers to 4.5 mm.

S.: Nelson and parts of northern Westland. Almost exclusive to limestone; to 1550 m.

Specimens of plants on "Altimarlock", Black Birch Range, Marlborough, (e.g. CHR 165488 A. P. Druce 1967; CHR 247228 A. W. Purdie 1973; CHR 262923 A. W. Purdie 1974) share with subsp. lupeola leaf-sheaths hairy on the margin only, and hairy inflorescences; in the absence of a weft of hairs of any sort on the adaxial surface of the leaf-blade they align with subsp. flavescens.